US B-52 bombers join Japanese F-35s and F-15s in show of force after China-Russia maneuvers
Kyiv • UNN
US B-52 bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighters. This was a response to joint China-Russia exercises in the region, as well as increased Chinese military activity around Taiwan.
American bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew over the Sea of Japan together with Japanese fighters on Wednesday, Tokyo reported, demonstrating strength after Chinese and Russian exercises in the skies and seas around Japan and South Korea, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
Japan and the United States "reaffirmed their firm determination to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and reaffirmed the readiness of both the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the US armed forces," the Japanese Ministry of Defense 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 aircraft was the first time the US had asserted its military presence since China's military exercises in the region began last week.
The demonstration followed a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers in the East China Sea and the western Pacific on Tuesday, as well as separate Chinese aircraft carrier exercises that prompted Japan to scramble aircraft that Tokyo said were targeted by radars.
This drew criticism from Washington, which said the incident "does not contribute to regional peace and stability" and reaffirmed that its alliance with Japan is "unshakeable."
Both Japan and South Korea host US troops, with Japan having the largest concentration of US military power abroad, including an aircraft carrier strike group and US Marine Corps expeditionary forces.
China rejected Tokyo's accusations, saying that Japanese aircraft flying near the aircraft carrier jeopardized its air operations south of Japan.
The South Korean military said it also scrambled fighter jets when Chinese and Russian aircraft entered its air defense identification zone on Tuesday, an area that extends beyond its airspace and is used for early warning.
Chinese warships and aircraft operate almost daily around Taiwan, which Taipei says is part of Beijing's ongoing pressure campaign.
On Thursday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported an increased Chinese military presence for the second day in a row. It said it detected 27 aircraft, including H-6K nuclear-capable bombers, conducting "joint combat readiness patrols," as well as warships around the island.
Late Wednesday, the ministry said Chinese J-16 fighters and H-6 bombers again conducted long-range exercises in the western Pacific after flying south of Taiwan.
Regional tensions have risen after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a dispute with Beijing last month with her remarks on how Tokyo might respond to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan and does not rule out the use of force to establish control over the island, which is located just over 100 km from Japanese territory and surrounded by sea lanes on which Tokyo depends, the publication writes.