Overview
- Japan reported that Russian Tu-95s and Chinese H-6s conducted a long-range patrol near Okinawa and Miyako, joined in flight by Chinese J-16 fighters and a Russian A-50.
- Japanese and South Korean jets scrambled to monitor the mission, which Moscow said lasted about eight hours, with no sovereign airspace violations reported.
- Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the operations a clear show of force against Japan and lodged protests as tensions rose over recent activities.
- China’s carrier Liaoning took an unusual route east of Kikai Island, and Tokyo accused carrier-launched aircraft of radar targeting its fighters, an allegation Beijing denied as it asserted compliance with international law.
- In a show of allied resolve, two U.S. B-52s flew over the Sea of Japan with Japanese F-35s and F-15s as JS Kaga got underway and the USS George Washington operated in the region.