South Korea and Japan separately scrambled fighter jets after Russian and Chinese military aircraft conducted a joint air patrol near both countries.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said seven Russian and two Chinese aircraft entered South Korea’s Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) at about 10am local time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday. The planes, which included fighters and bombers, were detected before entering the KADIZ — an area that is not sovereign airspace but where aircraft are expected to identify themselves — and Seoul deployed fighter jets “to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies,” officials said. The foreign aircraft flew in and out of the KADIZ for about an hour before leaving, according to Yonhap news agency.
Japan also dispatched military aircraft to “strictly implement” air defence measures “against potential airspace violations” after the reported joint patrol, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. Koizumi said two Russian Tu-95 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew from the Sea of Japan to the Tsushima Strait and met two Chinese H-6 bombers capable of carrying long-range missiles. He added that at least eight Chinese J-16 fighters and a Russian A-50 early-warning aircraft accompanied the bombers as they flew “around” Japan, travelling between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island.
Koizumi described the repeated joint bomber flights as an expansion and intensification of activities around Japan that appear intended to demonstrate force and pose a serious national security concern. His statement followed recent accusations that Chinese fighters directed fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft in separate incidents over international waters near Okinawa.
Japan’s Ministry of Defence said it had monitored the movements of the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its support vessels near Okinawa since Friday, recording dozens of takeoffs and landings. The ministry said it was the first time fighter operations from a Chinese carrier had been confirmed in waters between Okinawa’s main island and Minami-Daitojima.
China’s Ministry of National Defence said the joint drills with Russia were organised under annual cooperation plans and described the exercise as the “10th joint strategic air patrol,” conducted above the East China Sea and the western Pacific. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the exercise, saying it lasted about eight hours and that foreign fighter jets tracked the Russian and Chinese aircraft at certain stages.
Since 2019, China and Russia have frequently flown military aircraft near South Korean and Japanese airspace without prior notice, citing joint exercises. South Korea scrambled jets in November 2024 when five Chinese and six Russian planes entered its air defence zone, and Japan deployed aircraft in 2022 after joint China-Russia flights approached its airspace.
China and Russia have strengthened military and defence ties since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and both maintain ties with North Korea, which is regarded as an adversary by South Korea and Japan.
