Japan and South Korea scrambled fighter jets on Saturday in response to a joint Chinese-Russian bomber patrol.
Japan tracked two separate flights involving H-6 and Tu-95 bombers, with some passing over the western Pacific.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force said the patrols passed over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific. It added that the flights showed the two countries’ resolve and ability to safeguard regional peace and stability. It was the 11th patrol of this kind since 2019, but the first this year.
Chinese J-16 fighter jets, Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft and a Russian Su-30 fighter accompanied the bombers. A flight map released by the ministry showed some of the aircraft had flown through the Miyako Strait.
South Korea said it had scrambled fighters after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defence identification zone. The aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace.
