Within 24 hours, Russian military planes entered Japan's "airspace" three times? On the same day, eight Chinese and Russian warships sailed through the Soya Strait, and the signal released was unusual.
According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency on 23 September, when a Russian Il-38 anti-submarine plane was operating in the waters near Rebun Island in Hokkaido, it entered Japan's "airspace" three times, each lasting 30 to 60 seconds.
On the third occasion, an F-15 fighter of the Japan Self-Defense Forces scrambled into the air and fired a thermal flare bomb jamming an infrared-guided missile at the Russian military aircraft as a warning.
Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft
After the incident, Japan lodged a "solemn protest" against the Russian side, claiming that such "violations of airspace" were regrettable and strongly demanded that such incidents be prevented from happening again.
As for the firing of flares at the Russian military plane, the Japanese side defended that "this is only a warning, not shooting, and does not constitute the use of weapons, and the use of weapons against manned aircraft will be allowed only in the case of legitimate defense or response to an emergency."
Recently, Russian-Japanese relations have deteriorated rapidly, mainly because since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Japan has followed the United States and the West to impose multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia and provided support to Ukraine, which made the Russian side very dissatisfied and announced the suspension of peace treaty negotiations with Japan.
The Japanese side claimed that the Russian military plane had entered Japan's "airspace," but according to the specific content of the "Potsdam Proclamation," Japan's territory was limited to Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and islands designated by the allies.
Eight Chinese and Russian warships passed through the Soya Strait
It is worth mentioning that on the same day that the Japanese side claimed that the Russian military plane had entered the country's "airspace," a joint formation of eight Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailed through the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin Island and headed for the North Pacific Ocean.
First, this is because the joint formations of the Chinese and Russian armies have appeared in the sea area many times recently; Second, because of the strong lineup of the Sino-Russian joint ship formation, the Chinese side dispatched two 055 large drives, a Type 054A frigate and a Type 903A supply ship.
Third, it is because the area where Chinese and Russian ships appear makes the Japanese side more sensitive. Although according to Japanese regulations, the Soya Strait has a territorial sea width of 3 nautical miles, and the high seas in the central area are free for all countries to navigate.
However, since most of Japan's industrial and economic zones are concentrated in the north, the Soya Strait is like the "northern gate" of the Sea of Japan, which touches Japan's sensitive nerves.
Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida
In addition, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is still United States attending the United Nations General Assembly, so he has instructed domestic officials to respond calmly to the recent developments in the vicinity in accordance with international and domestic laws, and to respond appropriately in close cooperation with United States.
But to be honest, the Japanese side does not need to make a fuss about this at all, because it is none other than Japan itself that is really causing regional tensions. As United States's "key ally" in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan is closely cooperating with NATO and acting as a boost to promote the "Asia-Pacific NATO".
Not only did the warships of the United States and European countries call at Japan ports for replenishment, but they also signed many cooperation documents in the field of defense with Japan, undermining regional peace and stability under the pretext of maintaining the so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific".
For example, the US military was exposed to an attempt to deploy an intermediate-range missile system in Japan, a move that aroused a high degree of vigilance between China and Russia, and Russian diplomat Zakharova even said that if United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Japan, then China and Russia will join hands to make a "double counterattack."
U.S. military medium missile
Judging from the current situation, Russia's warning is obviously not just words, but to maintain peace and stability in the region, it is necessary for neighboring countries to make joint efforts, build bridges of communication, and jointly maintain the peaceful highland of the Asia-Pacific region.