(Reuters) – U.S. nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, Tokyo said, in a show of force following drills by China and Russia in the skies and seas around Japan and South Korea.
Japan and the US ‘reaffirmed their strong determination to avoid any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and confirmed the readiness posture of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and US forces,’ Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
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 asserted its military presence since China began military exercises in the region last week.
Continues after advertising
The display comes after a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers into the East China Sea and western Pacific on Tuesday, and separate Chinese aircraft carrier exercises that saw Japan launch jets that Tokyo said were targeted by radar beams.
China denied Tokyo’s accusation about the carrier encounter, saying the Japanese jets had put its air operations south of Japan at risk.
The incident drew criticism from Washington, which said it was ‘not conducive to peace and stability in the region’ and reaffirmed that its alliance with Japan is ‘unshakable’.
SHOW OF STRENGTH
Both Japan and South Korea host U.S. forces, with Japan home to the largest concentration of U.S. military power abroad, including an aircraft carrier strike group and a U.S. Navy expeditionary force.
Japan’s Chief of General Staff, General Hiroaki Uchikura, said the joint flight of Chinese and Russian bombers was clearly a show of force aimed at Japan.
Continues after advertising
“We consider this a serious concern from the point of view of Japan’s security,” Uchikura said at a press conference.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the exercises with Russia were part of the two countries’ annual cooperation plan, demonstrating both sides’ determination to ‘safeguard peace and stability’.
“The Japanese side doesn’t need to make a fuss about anything or take this personally,” he added.
Continues after advertising
Regional tensions have risen since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a row with Beijing last month with her talks about how Tokyo might react to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.
China claims the democratic government of Taiwan and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to take control of the island, which is just over 100 km from Japanese territory and is surrounded by sea routes on which Tokyo depends.
