In the course of the same week in which Russian and Chinese strategic bombers carried out a combined deployment, the U.S. and Japanese Air Forces demonstrated the capabilities of their B-52H and F-15J in the Pacific, seeking thereby to respond to the deterrence message of their two main geopolitical rivals in the region. As officially indicated, the occasion in turn served as an opportunity to conduct training that would allow increasing interoperability between both allied forces, covering different areas of the Sea of Japan.
Picking up statements from the Japanese Ministry of Defense: “Given the increasing severity of the security environment in Japan (…) we confirmed the firm determination of Japan and the U.S. not to allow any unilateral change to the status quo by force, as well as the readiness of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military, and we further reinforced deterrence and response capability.”
As we reported last Tuesday, China and Russia carried out a deployment lasting about eight hours with their H-6K and Tu-95 bombers, these being accompanied by J-11BS, J-16, and Su-30MK2 fighters; complemented by KJ-500A early warning and control aircraft. This was in fact the second time this year that such a mission occurred, while if one reviews the background since 2019, the news marked the tenth occasion on which Beijing and Moscow allocate assets to combined patrols of this kind.
While this was taking place, with even the possibility that joint operations had been conducted during part of the patrol flight, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning was sailing in waters adjacent to the Miyako Strait so that its embarked air wing could carry out training flights. The matter is not at all minor for Japan, considering that not only was the presence of one of the flagship vessels of the Asian Giant noted in waters near the country, but the assets deployed to monitor it were protagonists in cross-accusations of harassment between the two nations.
If we broaden the lens on these events, it becomes necessary to mention that tensions between China and Japan have grown considerably in recent weeks, especially after the rise to power of the new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi. In Beijing’s view, the leader stands out negatively with rhetoric considered bellicose, especially because of her statements about a potential military intervention by her country in favor of Taiwan in the event of an attempt at reunification by force. Additionally, this comes in the year in which the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over the Axis in the Second World War is celebrated, something that has been frequently used by the Asian Giant in its discursive dispute.
However, in Tokyo’s eyes, it is China that is primarily to blame for the decreasing stability in the region due to its increasingly frequent military deployments in the Indo-Pacific. Referring to the patrol carried out together with Russia, the current Chief of the Japanese General Staff, General Hiroaki Uchikura, stated: “We consider it a serious concern from the standpoint of Japan’s security”; a position that was soon backed by the country’s defense minister in a recent phone call with the NATO secretary general.
Finally, it is necessary to consider that the military movements are having an impact on other countries in the region, as is the case for Taiwan and South Korea. So much so that from Taipei it was reported that up to 27 aircraft and an unspecified number of ships were detected carrying out readiness activities near the island, while from Seoul it was indicated that combat aircraft were deployed in order to monitor the passage of Russian and Chinese platforms through its air defense identification zone.
Cover image: @jointstaffpa on X
*Translated by Constanza Matteo
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