Japan scrambles jets as Russian bombers fly near its coast

Japan said it scrambled jets on Friday to monitor Russian warplanes, including strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, which had flown along the edge of Japanese airspace up its coast.

Russia's Defence Ministry, in a statement reported by state-owned RIA news agency, confirmed that its Tu-95 bombers had been escorted by jets from another country during what it described as a routine patrol flight over neutral waters.

The incident occurred hours before Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in her first parliamentary address, vowed to accelerate the country's defence buildup, calling the military activities of Russia, China, and North Korea a "serious concern."

Japan's Defence Ministry released a map showing two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters flying off Japan's west coast over the Sea of Japan, approaching Sado Island before turning north. "Russia conducts daily military operations around our country while invading Ukraine - this is the reality," Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X.