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Thursday, November 4, 2010
Russian Air Force Flying Near Japan More FrequentlyTOKYO (Nikkei)--Russia's air force is stepping up activity near Japanese airspace.
According to the Joint Staff for Japan's Self-Defense Forces, its air force responded to 149 alerts against Russian aircraft in the April-September period, up 80% on the year.
Japanese jets responded to a total of 186 alerts, up 30% from the year-earlier 146, with Russian aircraft drawing about 80% of such responses, known as scrambling in military terms.
Chinese aircraft sent Japanese fighters scrambling 24 times, with Taiwanese planes drawing four responses.
Russian planes have been spied over the disputed islands off Hokkaido, but have not been confirmed to have violated Japanese airspace elsewhere.
Russia conducted a major military exercise in July in its easternmost region, with aircraft making long-distance flights near Japanese waters in the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean.
Russia "is showing off its presence," says a top SDF official.
Russia has been flying bombers and electronic intelligence reconnaissance aircraft in the vicinity of Japan, apparently to check on the conditions of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force radar sites.
After the Cold War ended, the number of Russian planes flying near Japan nosedived as that country's economy slumped.
But such activities have increased as Russia bolsters its military might.
(The Nikkei Nov. 4 morning edition)
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