Violations of Japanese airspace

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Violations of Japanese airspace have occurred on a number of occasions. There have been 39 cases from 1967 to 2017. The vast majority have involved Soviet aircraft during the Cold War, or Russian aircraft afterwards.

Contents

There have been several prominent cases of airspace violations.

Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone Air Defense Identification Zone of Japan3.png
Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone

In addition to actual violations there are many cases of foreign aircraft skirting Japanese airspace or entering Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone. In 2016 fighter squadrons of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) aircraft launched 851 times to intercept Chinese aircraft and 301 times in response to Russian aircraft. [3]

List of airspace violations

NumberDateLocationCountryAircraft type (number)
1August 19, 1967 Rebun Island, Hokkaido USSR Unknown (1)
2February 7, 1974Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1)
3September 24, 1975 Shikine-jima/Kōzu-shima, TokyoUSSR Tu-95 (2)
4 September 6, 1976 HokkaidoUSSR MiG-25 (1) [4]
5September 7, 1977 Gotō Islands, Nagasaki USSRTu-95 (2)
6March 17, 1978 Tsushima Island, NagasakiUSSRTu-95 (1)
7December 5, 1978Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1)
8November 15, 1979 Senkaku Islands, OkinawaUSSRTu-95 (2)
9June 29, 1980 Hegura-jima, IshikawaUSSR Ilyushin Il-38 (2)
10August 18, 1980Gotō Islands, NagasakiUSSR Ilyushin Il-62 (1)
11June 6, 1981Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSR Ilyushin Il-14 (1)
12June 24, 1981Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1)
13April 3, 1981Danjogun, NagasakiUSSRIl-62 (1)
14October 15, 1983 Shiretoko, HokkaidoUSSR MiG-23? (2?) [5]
15November 15, 1982 Okinoshima, FukuokaUSSR Tu-16 (1), Tu-95 (1)
16November 12, 1983Okinoshima, FukuokaUSSRTu-16 (1)
17November 23, 1983Okinoshima, FukuokaUSSRTu-95 (1), Tu-142 (1)
18February 6, 1986Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1) [6]
19August 27, 1987Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1)
20 December 9, 1987 OkinawaUSSRTu-16 (1) [7] [8] [9]
21April 21, 1989Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRUnknown (1)
22July 6, 1991 Nemuro Peninsula, HokkaidoUSSR An-30
23August 15, 1991Rebun Island, HokkaidoUSSRTu-95 (2)
24April 10, 1992Rebun Island/Wakkanai, Hokkaido Russia An-12
25May 7, 1992Sea near HokkaidoRussiaUnknown (1)
26July 28, 1992Tsushima Island, NagasakiRussiaTu-154 (2)
27August 31, 1993Kukujima, Aomori PrefectureRussia Il-20 (1)
28March 25, 1994Senkaku Islands, Okinawa Taiwan Beechcraft King Air B350
29March 23, 1995Rebun Island, HokkaidoRussia MiG-31
30February 14, 2001Rebun Island, HokkaidoRussia Tu-22M (2), Tu-22(?) (2) [10]
31April 11, 2001Rebun Island, HokkaidoRussiaUnknown (1)
32April 11, 2001Kukujima, Aomori PrefectureRussia Su-24
33January 25, 2005Rebun Island, HokkaidoRussia An-72
34February 9, 2008 Izu Islands/Lot's Wife (crag), TokyoRussiaTu-95 (1) [11] [12] [13]
35December 13, 2012 Uotsurishima, Okinawa China Y-12 (1) [14] [15]
36February 7, 2013 Rishiri Island, HokkaidoRussia Su-27 (2) [16] [17] [18]
37August 22, 2013Okinoshima, FukuokaRussiaTu-95 (2) [19] [20]
38September 15, 2015Nemuro Peninsula, HokkaidoRussia?Fisheries monitoring? [21] [20] [22] [23]
39May 18, 2017Senkaku Islands, OkinawaChina Unmanned Aerial Vehicle [24] [25]
40August 29, 2024 Kyushu China Shaanxi Y-9

See also

References

  1. Thompson, Paul JASDF Squadron Histories - 302nd Squadron J-HangarSpace Retrieved August 14, 2017
  2. Japanese Jet Warns Soviet Plane December 10, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 14, 2017
  3. Japan Air Self-Defense Force: Chinese Intercepts Down 50, Russia Up 60 Percent July 17, 2017 The Diplomat Retrieved September 20, 2017
  4. The pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet September 5, 2016 BBC Retrieved August 18, 2017
  5. Kimura, Hiroshi Japanese-Russian Relations Under Brezhnev and Andropov page 247 Published 2000. Retrieved August 18, 2017
  6. Pak, Chi Young The Korean Straits Published 1988, Retrieved August 18, 2017
  7. Japanese Jet Warns Soviet Plane December 10, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
  8. Japan Given Apology by Soviet December 11, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
  9. Soviet Union apologizes to Japan over airspace violation December 16, 1987 United Press International Retrieved August 18, 2017
  10. Russian military planes enter Japanese airspace February 15, 2001 Japan Times Retrieved October 2, 2017
  11. Violation of Japanese Airspace by Russian Aircraft (February 9, 2008) Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 18, 2017
  12. Japan Says Russian Bomber Violated Its Airspace February 10, 2008 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
  13. Orgs, Andrew Lee & Tatsumi, Yuki Global Security Watch - Japan page 105 Retrieved August 18, 2017
  14. China's activities surrounding Japan's airspace Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 17, 2017
  15. Japan increases defense budget for first time in 11 years January 7, 2013 The Hankyoreh Retrieved August 17, 2017
  16. Russian fighters intrude into Japanese airspace on isle row day, spurring protest February 8, 2013 Japan Times Retrieved August 17, 2017
  17. Did Russian Jets Violate Japanese Airspace? February 8, 2013 The Diplomat Retrieved August 18, 2017
  18. Russian fighter jets 'breach Japan airspace' February 7, 2013 BBC Retrieved August 18, 2017
  19. Japan accuses Russia of air space intrusion; Moscow denies it August 22, 2013 Reuters Retrieved August 17, 2017
  20. 1 2 Japan protests after ‘Russian’ plane enters airspace September 16, 2015 News Inquirer Retrieved August 17, 2017
  21. Japan scrambles jets after ‘Russian’ plane enters airspace September 16, 2015 Stars and Stripes Retrieved August 17, 2017
  22. Statistics on scrambles through fiscal year 2015 April 22, 2016 Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 17, 2017
  23. Suspected Russian aircraft violates Japanese airspace near disputed islands September 16, 2017 San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved August 18, 2017
  24. Japan scrambles jets over China drone flight near disputed islets May 18, 2017 Reuters Retrieved August 17, 2017
  25. Drone spotted with Chinese ships in Japan’s territorial waters May 19, 2017 Stars and Stripes Retrieved August 17, 2017