Japan and South Korea scramble fighters in response to Chinese-Russian bomber patrol

Japan and South Korea scrambled fighter jets in response to a joint Russian-Chinese bomber patrol on Saturday.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force said the patrols passed over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific, adding that they showed the two countries’ resolve and ability to safeguard regional peace and stability.

It was the 11th patrol of this kind since 2019, but the first this year.

It added that Chinese J-16 fighter jets, Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft and a Russian Su-30 fighter had accompanied the bombers.

A flight map released by the ministry showed some of the aircraft had flown through the Miyako Strait, a key waterway between Okinawa and the Miyako Islands that provides access to the western Pacific from the East China Sea.

South Korea said it had scrambled fighters after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defence identification zone, according to Yonhap News Agency. The aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace, the report added.