South Korea, Japan scramble military planes in response to strategic air patrol by China, Russia

By Saadet Gokce and Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – South Korea and Japan on Tuesday scrambled their military planes in response to a strategic air patrol by China and Russia near Japan’s territory.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that two Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers flew from the East China Sea to the Pacific off of Shikoku, one of the main Japanese islands, according to Kyodo News.

According to the ministry, the Russian bomber pair joined the Chinese pair in the East China Sea after flying down from the Sea of Japan. They then passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island and flew to an area off Shikoku before turning around and making their way back.

In response, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets though the bombers did not cross into Japanese airspace, according to the ministry's Joint Staff.

South Korea also scrambled military aircraft on Tuesday after two Chinese and seven Russian military jets “briefly entered and left South Korea's air defense identification zone,” the country’s military said.

The incursion took place over waters east and south of the Korean Peninsula, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), as reported by Yonhap.

The JCS said the Air Force dispatched fighter jets in preparation for a possible untoward incident after the Chinese and Russian aircraft entered the zone at around 10 am (0100GMT).

The aircraft did not violate South Korea’s territorial airspace, the JCS said, adding that they were detected before entering the zone.

According to a JCS official, the Russian and Chinese aircraft — including bombers and fighter jets — intermittently entered and exited the air defense identification zone for about an hour before withdrawing completely.

The last time Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone was last November, when 11 planes from both countries were detected.

China’s Defense Ministry said in a written statement that the Chinese and Russian militaries conducted their 10th joint strategic air patrol over the East China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday as part of their annual cooperation plan.