US Ally Scrambles Jets To Intercept Russian Spy Plane

Japanese fighter aircraft intercepted a Russian spy plane over the waters west of the nation on Tuesday, while a suspected Chinese drone was identified flying near Japan's westernmost island.

The Russian and Chinese militaries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

Japan, a treaty ally of the United States, forms part of the first island chain with Taiwan and the Philippines, an American defense concept that seeks to leverage allied and friendly territories to constrain military activities by Washington's adversaries.

The quasi-alliance of Russia and China has frequently sent military aircraft and ships on patrols and drills near Japan, prompting Japanese forces to act to prevent violations of its sovereign airspace and territorial waters.

What To Know

A Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was tracked flying southward over the Sea of Japan off the western coast of two of Japan's main islands, Hokkaido and Honshu, the Japanese Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Russian aircraft did not enter Japan's sovereign airspace over its 12-nautical-mile-wide territorial waters, but was inside its air defense zone within international airspace. The aircraft returned to Russia's Far East region.

While the Japanese military did not reveal the number of fighter aircraft it had scrambled, it published a photograph of the Russian aircraft that was taken during the air interception.

The Japanese air force also tracked an unidentified type of Chinese military drone flying back and forth between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea as it transited over the waters between Taiwan and Japan's Yonaguni Island, which are only about 67 miles apart.

This was the third time this week the Japanese air force had intercepted Chinese military aircraft. On Monday and Tuesday a Chinese Y-9 anti-submarine warfare aircraft transited back and forth between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea over the Miyako Strait.

Unlike the previous two incidents, the Japanese military did not publish any photographs of the Chinese drone even though it had scrambled fighter aircraft, according to its report.

What People Are Saying

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force has said: "Russia moving forward with the modernization of its military forces as well as intensifying its military activities. Russia's military activities are trending upward in the Far East including Japan's Northern Territories."

The Northern Territories, a group of four islands known as the Southern Kuril Islands in Russia, are administrated by Moscow after being captured at the end of World War II.

The Japanese 2024 Defense White Paper reads: "China has been rapidly building up military capabilities while intensifying its activities in the East China Sea…as well as in the Pacific."

What Happens Next

While both the Russian and Chinese militaries are likely to continue to operate near Japan, it remains to be seen whether they will coordinate their activities in the region.