Japan responded to Chinese and Russian aerial and maritime intrusions hundreds of times in 2024, according the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force jets were scrambled 345 times in response to Chinese actions mostly near its southern islands between April 1 and December 31. This is as well as 173 similar scrambles provoked by Russia.
Newsweek has contacted the Japanese, Chinese and Russian ministries of defense for comment.
Why It Matters
The high level of activity in and over the seas surrounding Japan highlights the growing military cooperation between Russia and China, as well as potential violations of the sovereignty of the U.S.-ally.
Japan and Russia are involved in a territorial conflict over the Northern Territories, a set of islands controlled by Russia after being taken from Japan by the Soviet Union at the conclusion of World War II. This has hindered the two nations from reaching a peace treaty to officially end their hostilities.
China, meanwhile, remains locked in a dispute with Japan over control of the Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyu Islands, which are thought to possess significant energy reserves.
What To Know
According to a report released by Japan's defense ministry on Wednesday, the October to December quarter saw Chinese and Russian bombers conduct "a long-distance joint flight over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and Pacific Ocean for two days."
The People's Liberation Army, the collective name for the Chinese Communist Party's military forces, also reportedly conducted take-offs and landings of fighter jets from aircraft carriers in the Pacific, while Russian Tu-95 bombers conducted flights over the Sea of Japan.
The period under the Defense Ministry's latest review saw Japanese jets respond to Russian aircraft conducting a suspected reconnaissance mission over the Sea of Japan, as well as joint military drills held with China in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese government's chief spokesperson, called an intrusion into Japan's airspace by Chinese planes in August a "serious violation of sovereignty."
What People Are Saying
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said last week: "Since February 2022, the Japanese government has been taking overtly hostile steps regarding our country, including illegitimate sanctions against Russian leaders, people, financial institutions and entire sectors of our economy."
What Happens Next?
The number of scrambles since April is only slightly fewer than the 555 recorded at the same point the previous year.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday, cited by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, two Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers recently performed a flight over the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk.
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