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【text/observer network xiong chaoran】according to a report by kyodo news and nhk on september 23, the joint staff office of the japanese ministry of defense announced that a russian military patrol aircraft entered japanese airspace three times near rebun island, hokkaido that day. japanese f-15 fighter jets took off urgently to respond and fired flares at russian military aircraft to interfere with infrared guided missiles.

the japanese ministry of defense said that it used flares against the russian patrol aircraft because it did not comply with and heed radio warnings. it has lodged an extremely severe protest to the russian side through diplomatic channels and will continue to monitor and monitor developments, demanding that such incidents be prevented from happening again.

according to the japanese ministry of defense, from 13:00 to 16:00 that afternoon, a russian il-38 anti-submarine aircraft "intruded" japanese airspace three times over the waters near rebun island, hokkaido, each time lasting 30 to 60 seconds. during the third intrusion, a japanese fighter jet fired a heat bomb as a warning. the japanese side said that this was the first time that the japanese self-defense forces "fired a heat bomb in response to an airspace violation."

on the evening of september 23, japanese defense minister minoru kihara responded to the incident by saying: "we confirmed today that a russian il-38 patrol aircraft violated our territorial waters north of rebun island, hokkaido three times." he added: "this airspace violation is extremely regrettable. we lodged a very solemn protest to the russian government through diplomatic channels today and strongly demanded that similar incidents be prevented from happening again."

nhk quoted the japanese ministry of defense as saying that when responding to airspace violations, the japanese self-defense forces will use radio calls or fly fighter jets in a position visible to the other party's aircraft to warn the other party not to enter the airspace. if the other party does not obey, japan will use heat bombs or signal flares to warn the other party not to enter the airspace. "using heat bombs is one of the most severe warning measures." an official from the japanese ministry of defense said.

regarding the use of weapons to respond to airspace violations, the japanese government stated that it is only allowed to use weapons against manned aircraft in cases of legitimate defense or emergencies. however, although the russian military patrol aircraft was manned, the japanese side stated that the firing of flares was a warning, not a shooting, and "did not constitute the use of weapons."

singapore's lianhe zaobao said the last time a russian aircraft entered japanese airspace was in june 2019. at that time, a tu-95 bomber entered the airspace near okinawa in southern japan and the izu islands south of tokyo. the report also mentioned that after the outbreak of the russian-ukrainian conflict, japan has been providing financial and material assistance to ukraine and has imposed sanctions on russian individuals and institutions. nhk pointed out that the current japan-russia relationship is at its lowest level since the cold war.

at present, the russian side has not responded to this matter. however, japan's chief cabinet secretary yoshimasa hayashi said at a press conference at the prime minister's office on september 23 that the japanese government was "extremely sorry" about this incident and had protested to the russian side through diplomatic channels, demanding that similar incidents not happen again. he also said that the japanese government has set up a special intelligence liaison office in the crisis management center of the prime minister's office for this matter. when asked about russia's intentions and purposes, he refused to answer.

nhk reported that on september 23rd local time (early morning of september 24th japan time), japanese prime minister fumio kishida, who had traveled to new york to attend the un general assembly, said that he had instructed japan to respond calmly and thoroughly in accordance with international and domestic laws, to work closely with the united states and other relevant countries, and to convey information to the japanese people and the international community in a timely and appropriate manner.

the joint staff office of the japanese ministry of defense also announced on september 23 that a total of eight ships from the chinese and russian navies passed through the soya strait (also known as the la perouse strait) between japan's hokkaido and russia's sakhalin island (kurile island) that day, sailing eastward from the sea of ​​japan to the pacific ocean. another chinese electronic reconnaissance ship passed through the soya strait from the 22nd to the 23rd.

kyodo news reported that this was the fourth time that the japanese ministry of defense announced that chinese and russian ships had jointly crossed the soya strait. in 2013, chinese ships first crossed the soya strait after the chinese and russian navies conducted military exercises in the sea of ​​japan.

nhk also mentioned this matter in its report, and said that the japanese ministry of defense is continuing to analyze whether this is related to the recent "russia's violation of japanese airspace" and is remaining vigilant and monitoring.

the ministry of national defense website announced on september 9 that according to the annual plan and the consensus between china and russia, the russian military sent naval and air forces to participate in the "northern joint-2024" exercise held by china in the relevant sea and air areas of the sea of ​​japan and the sea of ​​okhotsk in september. the exercise aims to deepen the strategic cooperation level between the chinese and russian militaries and enhance the ability to jointly respond to security threats. in addition, the chinese and russian naval fleets will go to the relevant waters of the pacific to organize the fifth joint maritime cruise of the two sides.

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