A near-incursion of Russian fighter jets into Japanese airspace last week was a bid by Moscow to intimidate Tokyo amid strengthening ties with Washington, observers warned.
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And unless there was a breakthrough in US-Russia relations, it was unlikely that ties between Moscow and Tokyo would thaw even under new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, they said.
Japan said it scrambled jets last Friday to monitor Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, which had flown along the edge of Japanese airspace up its coast.
Russia’s Defence Ministry, in a statement reported by state-owned RIA news agency, confirmed its Tu-95 bombers had been escorted by jets from another country during what it described as a routine patrol flight over neutral waters.
The incident was said to have taken place hours before Takaichi pledged to accelerate Japan’s defence build-up. In her first speech to parliament since taking office, she said Russia’s military activities, along with those of China and North Korea, were posing a “serious concern”.
Japan’s Ministry of Defence released a map showing the flight path of the Russian planes off Japan’s west coast over the Sea of Japan. It said the bombers were accompanied by two Su-35 fighters and had initially flown towards Japan’s Sado Island before turning northwards.