Japan’s Ministry of Defense revealed that it scrambled fighter jets after detecting a Russian military aircraft over the Sea of Japan last Saturday (25).
The announcement was made last Monday (27), according to Defence Blog. The flight, carried out by an IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft, prompted a rapid response from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which dispatched fighter jets to intercept and monitor the Russian plane.
According to a statement from the Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense, the IL-20 approached from the continental side and proceeded southwest over the Sea of Japan before turning northwest off the coast of Cape Kyogamisaki in Kyoto Prefecture.
The ministry stated that the aircraft returned to the continent after completing its route. While the aircraft did not violate Japan’s territorial airspace, the ministry emphasized that Japan maintains constant vigilance against potential incursions.
The incident was detected and monitored as part of standard Japanese airspace surveillance operations and occurred during daytime, the ministry said, reiterating that the Self-Defense Forces will take appropriate and immediate action in response to foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
Photo: Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
