During yesterday’s events, January 30, the first deployment of the year of Russian Aerospace Forces Tu-95MS strategic bombers was recorded over the Sea of Japan as part of scheduled patrol flights. The presence of the Russian aircraft, which were escorted by Sukhoi Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets, prompted a response from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), which dispatched F-15J fighters to monitor the situation and prevent any possible violations of Japanese airspace.
A series of statements and videos that quickly went viral confirmed the incident, with both the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces acknowledging the event in the Sea of Japan.
According to reports from Japanese authorities: “… in the morning, the bombers and fighter jets took off from the mainland, changed course near Cape Shiretoko in Hokkaido, and entered the Soya Strait. Then, they turned northwest back toward the mainland. In the afternoon, the same four Russian aircraft departed again from the mainland, traveling south over the Sea of Japan from the coast of Okushiri Island in Hokkaido to the coast of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, before heading northwest back to the mainland. Additionally, an IL-38 patrol aircraft was detected over the Sea of Japan.”
The detection of these Russian aircraft triggered the deployment of Mitsubishi F-15J fighter jets for interception and surveillance. In the video footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Tu-95MS bombers can be seen flying in formation alongside Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets armed with R-73 air-to-air missiles. The footage later shows Japanese fighter jets monitoring the Russian formation without any incidents reported.
The F-15J deployment marked the second time in less than two days that Japanese fighter jets had to be scrambled to prevent potential airspace violations. On January 29, JASDF aircraft were also dispatched in response to unidentified aircraft approaching from the East China Sea, which were suspected to belong to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Additionally, the past week saw multiple near-daily deployments of JASDF fighter jets. Along with the incidents on January 29 and 30, similar interceptions took place on January 22, 26, and 28, involving aircraft originating from the East China Sea.
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