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US nuclear-capable bombers flew joint sorties with Japanese fighter jets over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, in an apparent show of force following recent Chinese and Russian military exercises in the region.
Tokyo confirmed the operation, which saw two American B-52 strategic bombers flying alongside three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 air-superiority jets.
This is the first time the US has asserted its military presence after China started a series of exercises last week.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that the two countries “reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and reaffirmed the readiness of both the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and US forces.”
The display comes after a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers over the East China Sea and western Pacific on Tuesday.
Separately, Chinese aircraft carrier exercises prompted Japan to scramble jets, with Tokyo alleging its planes were targeted by radar beams.
However, China denied the allegation and claimed that the Japanese jets threatened its air operations south of Japan.
Washington criticized China’s actions as “not conducive to regional peace and stability” and reiterated that its alliance with Japan remains “unbreakable”.
show of strength
Both Japan and South Korea host U.S. forces, with Japan being the largest concentration of U.S. military power overseas, including an aircraft carrier strike group and a U.S. Marine Expeditionary Force.
Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff General Hiroaki Uchikura, said that the Chinese and Russian joint bomber flight was clearly a show of force directed at Japan.
“We consider this a serious concern from the perspective of Japan’s security,” Uchikura, the country’s top uniformed military officer, said at a regular press briefing.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also shared Japan’s concerns about the Chinese and Russian planes with North Atlantic Treaty Organization head Mark Rutte in a telephone call on Wednesday.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the drills with Russia were part of the two countries’ annual cooperation plan, demonstrating both sides’ determination to “safeguard regional peace and stability.”
“There is no need for the Japanese side to make a fuss about anything or take it personally,” he said.
Activity near South Korea and Taiwan
South Korea’s military said it also scrambled fighters on Tuesday when Chinese and Russian aircraft entered its air defense identification zone, an area that extends beyond its airspace and is used for early warning.
Chinese military ships and planes fly around Taiwan almost daily, something Taipei says is part of Beijing’s ongoing pressure campaign.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported an increase in Chinese military presence for the second consecutive day. It said it had detected 27 aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6K bombers, conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” with warships around the island.
Chinese J-16 fighter planes and H-6 bombers have again conducted long-range training in the western Pacific after passing south of Taiwan, the ministry said late Wednesday.
Regional tensions have risen since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a spat with Beijing last month when he asked how Tokyo might respond to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, which is just 100 km (62 miles) from Japanese territory and surrounded by sea lanes on which Tokyo depends.