Japan deployed fighter jets Tuesday to monitor a coordinated air patrol by Russian and Chinese forces operating near Japanese territory, marking another escalation in regional military tensions.

The Joint Operation

Two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers, which are nuclear-capable, flew from the Sea of Japan toward the East China Sea where they met up with two Chinese H-6 bombers. Together, they carried out what the Japanese Defense Ministry described as a "long-distance joint flight" over the Pacific.

The Radar Incident

This latest patrol comes amid a brewing dispute over a December 6 encounter. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi revealed at a press conference that Chinese carrier-launched fighters conducted "intermittent radar lock-ons lasting approximately 30 minutes" against Japanese F-15 aircraft operating in the air defense identification zone.

China pushed back on that characterization. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Japanese aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted Chinese naval operations during previously announced carrier-based training.

Koizumi fired back Wednesday, saying China provided insufficient advance notice about training operations near the aircraft carrier Liaoning, with no Notice to Air Mission or navigational warnings issued.

In a separate Wednesday post on X, Koizumi framed the situation bluntly: "The repeated joint flights of bombers by both countries signify an expansion and intensification of activities around our country, clearly intended to demonstrate force against us, posing a serious concern for national security."

Broader Tensions

The friction between Tokyo and Beijing has intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented last month that a hypothetical Chinese assault on Taiwan might lead Japan to use force. That's not the kind of statement that goes unnoticed in the region.