US bombers join Japanese jets in show of force after China-Russia drills

TOKYO – US nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan with Japanese fighter jets, Tokyo said on Dec 11, in a show of force after Chinese ​and Russian military drills in the skies and seas around Japan and South Korea.

Japan and the US “reaffirmed their strong resolve to ​prevent ​any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and confirmed the readiness posture of both the Self Defense Forces and US forces”, Japan’s Defence Ministry said in a press release on Dec 11.

The flight of two US B-52 strategic bombers with three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 air-superiority jets was the first time the US had asserted its military presence since China began military exercises in the region last week.

The display follows a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers over the East China Sea and ​western Pacific on Dec 9 and separate Chinese aircraft carrier drills that prompted Japan to scramble jets that Tokyo said were ​targeted by radar beams.

China denied Tokyo’s accusation about the carrier-aircraft encounter, saying Japanese jets had endangered its air operations south of Japan.

The encounter drew criticism from Washington, which said the incident was “not conducive to regional peace and stability” and reaffirmed that its alliance with Japan was “unwavering”.

Both Japan and South Korea host US forces, with Japan home to the biggest concentration of American military power overseas, including an aircraft carrier strike group and a US Marine expeditionary force.

Japan’s Chief of Staff, Joint Staff General Hiroaki Uchikura, said the Chinese and Russian joint bomber flight was clearly a show of force directed at Japan.

“We consider it a grave concern from the standpoint of Japan’s security,” Gen Uchikura, the country’s top uniformed military officer, said at a regular press briefing.

Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also shared Japan’s concerns about the Chinese and Russian aircraft with NATO chief Mark Rutte in a telephone call on Dec 10.

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”.

“The Japanese side has no need to make a fuss about nothing or to take this personally,” he added.

Activity near South Korea, Taiwan

South Korea’s military said it also scrambled fighter jets

when the Chinese and Russian aircraft entered its air defence zone on Dec 9, an area that extends beyond its airspace and is used for early warning.

Chinese military ships and aircraft operate almost daily around Taiwan, in what Taipei says is part of Beijing’s ongoing pressure campaign.

On Dec 11, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reported a stepped-up Chinese military presence for a second day in a row. It said it had detected 27 aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6K bombers, conducting a “joint combat readiness patrol” along with warships around the island.

Late on Dec 10, the ministry said Chinese J-16 fighters and H-6 bombers had again carried out long-range training in the Western Pacific after passing to the south of Taiwan.

Regional tensions have risen since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered a dispute with Beijing in November with her remarks on how

Tokyo might react to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan

.

China claims democratically governed ​Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, ​which sits just over 100km from Japanese territory and is surrounded by sea lanes on which Tokyo relies. REUTERS