US bombers joined Japanese jets in drills after China-Russia air patrol
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The news: Tokyo said that two nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers flew over the Sea of Japan, alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, after Chinese and Russian forces carried out drills around South Korea and Japan the day prior.
The context: A statement released by Japan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday said that the country’s Self-Defense Forces (JDFD) and the US Armed Forces conducted a bilateral exercise “amid an increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan.”
The US B-52s were joined by three Japanese F-35s and three Japanese F-15 jets, the Japanese defense ministry said.
The drill follows a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers in the East China Sea and west Pacific on Tuesday, in addition to Chinese aircraft carrier drills that prompted Japan to scramble jets which Tokyo said were targeted by radar beams.
While both Japan and South Korea host US forces, the US participation this week marks the first time the US has asserted its military presence since China began carrying out drills in the area last week.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise reaffirmed “the strong will between Japan and US not to tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo by force.”
The source: Japan Joint Chiefs of Staff
