Tokyo’s unprecedented decision to have its fighter jets deploy flares as a warning after a Russian surveillance plane entered Japanese airspace Monday is unlikely to prevent Russia or China from continuing to test Japan with incursions, amid an uptick in provocative military moves by the two countries.
The Defense Ministry said late Monday that Tokyo had delivered a strong protest to Moscow after a Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace off Hokkaido’s Rebun Island three times earlier in the day.
According to the ministry, Japan scrambled Air Self-Defense Force F-15 and F-35 fighter jets in response, issuing warnings over the radio on the first two incursions and firing flares to warn away the Russian aircraft on the third instance.
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