The Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russian bombers had violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area.

Two Tu-95 bombers entered Japanese airspace near Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture for about three minutes from around 8:55 a.m. on Thursday, the ministry said.

One of them re-entered, flying near Hachijo Island in the Izu island chain, south of Tokyo, for around two minutes just past 10:20 a.m., the ministry said, adding that there were no dangerous maneuvers.

The two bombers were spotted flying southward from the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait between Japan’s southwest and South Korea in the morning, and then later turning north over waters near Okinawa Prefecture, the ministry said.

The government lodged a “stern protest” with Russia, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied a violation had occurred, Russia’s Tass news agency reported, citing the ministry as saying the “flight was carried out in strict compliance with the international rules” and “without any violations of the borders of other states.”

Two ASDF fighters “escorted” the bombers during parts of the over 14-hour flight of the Russian aircraft, according to the Tass report.

In September 2015, what appeared to be a Russian aircraft violated northern Japanese airspace off the Nemuro Peninsula on Hokkaido, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry. The area is near Kunashiri Island and the Habomai islet group, two of four Russian-controlled islands that are claimed by Japan. </s> The Japanese military says its fighter jets were forced to scramble after two Russian military aircraft violated its airspace.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 20 that two Russian TU-95 bombers approached southern Japanese islands, including Kyushu, from the north before heading north toward the Japanese mainland.

The ministry said one of the bombers violated Japanese airspace twice over the Daito Islands near Okinawa and near Hachijo Island, south of the capital, Tokyo.

The two aircraft then flew along northeastern Japan and the island of Hokkaido before returning to Russia, the ministry said.

The Russian military did not immediately comment on the report.

A recent report by the Japanese ministry said its fighter jets had scrambled nearly 1,000 times against foreign aircraft approaching its airspace in the past fiscal year ending on March 31.

More than 340 incidents involved Russian aircraft and 638 involved Chinese planes, it said.

U.S., NATO, and Russian militaries regular report incidents of foreign aircraft violating or coming near their airspace, forcing planes to scramble in defense. No shooting incidents have been reported. </s> June 21 (UPI) -- Russian bombers violated Japanese airspace, prompting a scramble of fighter planes to escort them away, Japan's defense ministry said.

Two Tu-95 bombers entered Japanese airspace near Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture on Thursday morning for about three minutes, and one later re-entered the airspace for about two minutes near Hachijo Island in the Izu island chain, the ministry said. It added no dangerous maneuvers were observed.

The planes were later seen flying southward from the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait between Japan and South Korea in the morning.

A "stern protest" against Russia was lodged over the incident, the Japanese Foreign Ministry later said. Russia insisted that the planes did not violate Japan's airspace but flew over international waters during a 14-hour flight.

"Two strategic bombers Tupolev-95MS of Russia's Aerospace Force flew a routine mission in the airspace over the international waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China and South China seas as well as the western part of the Pacific Ocean," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday. "The flight was carried out in strict compliance with the international rules of using international airspace, without any violations of the borders of other states."

Japan did not report the number of fighter planes it used to divert the Russian planes.

A report by Japan's Defense Ministry said its fighter jets had scrambled nearly 1,000 times against foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace in the year ending on March 31. Over 340 incidents involved Russian aircraft and 638 involved Chinese planes, it said. </s> The Russian Defence Ministry said Thursday that a Russian Tu-95MS tagged Japanese fighters at certain stages of Russia's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea and western part of the Pacific Ocean ... During certain stages of the route the Russian planes were shadowed by Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters," the ministry said in a statement adding that the flight lasted for more than 14 hours.

The ministry stressed that the flight was carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, without illegal crossing the Japanese airspace borders.

The NHK broadcaster reported Thursday that fighters of the Japan Self-Defence Forces took off to shadow the Russian plane, which had allegedly entered Japan's airspace.

The incidents occurred near Okinawa and the island of Hachijo-jima in the southern part of Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported.

Russian strategic and long-range aircraft regularly carry out flights over the Arctic region, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Black Sea. The Russian Defenсe Ministry has repeatedly said that all flights of Russian military aircraft are carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters. </s> Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) reports that two nuclear-capable Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers have violated the country’s airspace off the Japanese island of Minamidaitō southeast of Okinawa and off Hachijō island in the Philippine Sea on June 20.

According to the MoD, a total of three Tu-95MS bombers conducted a long-range patrol along the eastern and western rims of the Japanese archipelago circumventing all major islands — Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu–in the course of the flight.

It is unclear whether the Russian bombers were accompanied by fighter aircraft during today’s long-range aerial patrol. Given the distance flown it is likely that the Tu-95MSs received midair refueling while on their mission.

Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) reportedly scrambled fighter jets to intercept the Russian military aircraft. In response to the Japanese allegations, the Russian MoD claimed later that there were no border violations during the flight operation.

Russian strategic bombers periodically circumvent the Japanese archipelago during long-range patrols. Russia only resumed regular long-range aerial patrols in East Asia in 2014 following an over a decade-long hiatus that began in the 1990s.

The Russian MoD usually refers to these flight operations as “routine flights” conducted in “strict accordance with international rules of using airspace, without any violations of the borders of other countries.”

The last reported violation of Japanese airspace by a Russian military aircraft took place in September 2015 off the South Kuril Islands, located in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Northwest Pacific. The island chain has been subject to a long-standing territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.

The JASDF conducted 343 scrambles against Russian military aircraft in fiscal year 2018, which ended this March. This constitutes a decline in comparison to fiscal year 2017, when the service scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian military planes 390 times.

In February 2019, JASDF fighters intercepted four Tu-95MS strategic bombers and four Sukhoi Su-35S (Flanker-E+) multirole fighter jets flying in two separate formations over the east and west coasts of Japan.

The last reported JASDF scramble against Russian military took place on May 3 when two Tupolev Tu-142MZ maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, conducting a long-range patrol in the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, were intercepted by Japanese fighter jets.

The increased Russian operational tempo in East Asia has led to a number of accidents this year.

“A pair of Su-34 fighter-bombers crashed into the Sea of Japan after reportedly colliding with each other off the coast in Russia’s Far East on January 18 (…),” I reported in February of this year.“Additionally, a Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber crashed at Olenegorsk airbase, in Russia’s northwestern region of Murmansk killing three crew members, on January 22.”

The Tu-95MS is an improved version of the older Tu-95, a Soviet-era four-engine, long-range, turboprop, strategic bomber that can be armed with stand-off missiles including the Kh-101/Kh-102 (nuclear variant) air-launched cruise missile or the Kh-55 subsonic air-launched cruise missile. </s> Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters shadowed Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers during certain stages of the latter's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2019) Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters shadowed Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers during certain stages of the latter's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Japanese media reported that the a Russian bomber had twice illegally crossed the border of the Japanese airspace.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea and western part of the Pacific Ocean .

.. During certain stages of the route the Russian planes were shadowed by Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters," the ministry said in a statement adding that the flight lasted for more than 14 hours.

The ministry stressed that the flight was carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, without illegal crossing the Japanese airspace borders. </s> SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said its air force jets fired warning shots on Tuesday to ward off a Russian military plane that intruded upon its territorial airspace, the first such encounter between the countries in decades.

Three Russian military planes, as well as two Chinese warplanes, entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone off its east coast, where foreign military aircraft must identify themselves in advance to South Korea, the South’s military said.

But one of the Russian planes flew closer to South Korea, intruding twice into its territorial airspace near Dokdo, a cluster of South Korean-held islets that are also claimed by Japan and are known as Takeshima to the Japanese, the South Korean military said.

Both times, the Russian plane violated South Korea’s airspace for a few minutes, prompting South Korean F-15 and F-16 fighter jets operating nearby to fire warning shots, the officials said. </s> South Korean jets fired warning shots after a Russian military plane violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday, Seoul officials said, in the first such incident between the countries.

Three Russian military planes initially entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its east coast before one of them entered the country's territorial sky, the South's Defence Ministry said.

South Korean fighter jets then scrambled to the area to fire warning shots, a ministry official said, requesting anonymity due to department rules.

The Russian plane left the area but it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later Tuesday, the ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again. Each time, the Russian plane didn't return fire, the official said.

It was the first time a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, according to South Korean officials.

The airspace the Russian plane violated was above a group of South Korean-held islets roughly halfway between South Korea and Japan that has been a source of territorial disputes between them. Russia isn't a party in those disputes.

The three Russian planes had entered the South Korean air defence identification zone with two Chinese military planes. But it wasn't immediately known whether the two countries deliberately did so, according to the South Korean official.

Before their joint flights with the Russian planes, the Chinese planes entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its southwest coast earlier Tuesday, according to the South Korean official. Chinese planes have occasionally entered South Korea's air defence identification zone in recent years.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said it plans to summon Russian and Chinese Embassy officials later Tuesday to register formal protests. </s> Two Japanese fighter jets took "provocative actions" at a high speed near a pair of Chinese fighter jets that were carrying out patrols in the East China Sea on June 17, China's defence ministry said in a microblog statement on Monday, without specifying where exactly the incident took place.

The Japanese planes used fire-control radar to "light up" the Chinese aircraft, the statement added.

Japan's senior military officer has acknowledged there was a scramble but has denied that any radar lock by the Chinese jet occurred or that the incident turned dangerous.

"The Japanese plane's provocative actions caused an accident in the air, endangering the safety of personnel on both sides, and destroying the peace and stability in the region," China's Defence Ministry said, adding the Chinese aircraft "responded resolutely".

China called on Japan to cease all provocative action, the statement added.

The statement about the incident comes after Japan's top military commander accused China of escalating military activity in the East China Sea, saying Japanese emergency scrambles to counter Chinese jets almost doubled over the past three months.

Japan is embroiled in a dispute with China in the East China Sea over ownership of a group of islands which lie about 220 km (140 miles) northeast of Taiwan, known as the Senkakus in Tokyo and the Diaoyu islands in Beijing.

Japan is worried that China is escalating its activity in the East China Sea in response to Tokyo's pledge to support countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Vietnam, that oppose China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Japan's Defense Ministry says Russian Air Force bombers violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area.