ANKARA: Japan has claimed that two suspected Russian airplanes and two Chinese bombers flew above the Sea of Japan, Kyodo News Agency reported on Wednesday.
“The two suspected Russian airplanes reversed their direction from southward and headed for the north above nearby waters while the two Chinese H-6 bombers flew in southwestern Japan through the Tsushima Strait to the Sea of Japan from the East China Sea in the morning before heading northward,” Japan’s Defense Ministry was quoted by the Kyodo News Agency.
The defence ministry said Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled in response to the flight; however, the ministry didn’t share more details.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force Fighter Jets Scramble in Response
Earlier on May 24, Japan also claimed that six Russian and Chinese aircrafts flew over waters near the country’s territory which Japan believed was an apparent protest against a Quadrilateral meeting between India, US, Australia, and Japan in Tokyo, Kyodo News Agency reported.
The latest incident came after the coast guard of Japan claimed that Chinese ships in the East China Sea intruded into Japan’s territorial waters for the 2nd time in the same day near the Senkaku Islands.
The incident took place days after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping held meeting for the first time in person at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Thailand.
Japan Criticized Chinese for Violating International Law
Last week, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary criticized China for violating international law and claimed that Japan also registered a protest with China through diplomatic channels.
China and Japan are at odds over Japan’s Senkaku Islands, which China claims and refers to as the Diaoyu Islands.
Japan PM Vows to Increase Defence Budget to 2% of GDP
Earlier on Tuesday, The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, has asked his cabinet to increase defence expenditures to two percent of the country’s GDP by 2027. Japan’s defence spending stands at a longstanding level of around 1%.
Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, announced the plan to his defence and finance ministers. The announcement was made at a time when Japan was overhauling its security and defence strategies to tackle growing threats from China and the geopolitical situation after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Earlier, the defence ministry of Japan submitted a 40 billion US dollars budget request; however, the figure will remain pending till the government completes updating several defence policies of the country.
Japan to Take Budgetary Measures to Increase Defence Spending
Japan’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told the media after talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that Japan will take budgetary steps to increase defence spending to two percent of the current GDP of the country by 2027.
The call for an increase in defence spending will get larger support due to the increasing pressure from China, including the presence of Chinese boats around islands disputed with Japan and China’s military exercises. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also helped build support for increased defence spending.
North Korea’s missile launches have also sharpened the views on defence spending as several of these missiles have traveled over Japan.
