Japan has reported the deployment of its aircraft to monitor Russian military planes, including strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, that flew near its shores at the edge of the country’s airspace on Friday.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement, reported by state-owned media, that aircraft from another country accompanied their Tu-95 bombers during what it called a routine flight over international waters.
This incident occurred just hours before Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takayichi, delivered her inaugural address to Parliament, pledging to accelerate defense enhancements.
Takayichi stated that the military activities from Russia, China, and North Korea represent a “serious concern.”
The Japanese Ministry of Defense released a map illustrating the flight path of the Russian aircraft off the country’s western coast over the Sea of Japan. It noted that two Russian Su-35 fighter jets initially escorted the two Tu-95 bombers as they flew towards Japan’s Sado Island before heading north.
Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Koizumi remarked on a social media platform, “Russia is conducting daily military operations around our country while invading Ukraine; this is the reality.