Japanese Fighter Jets Made 135 Emergency Sorties Since April Due to Russian Warplanes

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japanese fighter jets made no less than 135 emergency sorties from 1 April to 30 September, 2019 due to the flights of the Russian military aircraft, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces said, noting that the amount of the sorties sharply decreased since the same period in 2018.

"From April 1 to September 30, Japanese fighter jets made 470 emergency sorties. This is 91 times less than in the same period of 2018. As many as 71 percent of cases were caused by Chinese aircraft and 29 percent by the Russian aircraft. As for the Chinese military aircraft, emergency sorties were announced 332 times, which is 13 times less than in the same period last year. As for the Russian aircraft, there were 135 emergency sorties, which is 76 times less than last year", the statement said.

According to the statement, three Tu-95 planes violated the Japanese airspace on 20 June and one A-50 breached the airspace on 23 July.

Истребитель Т-50

© AP Photo / Misha Japaridze

On the same day, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that a Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft had illegally crossed into South Korean airspace twice over the Sea of Japan and that South Korean F-16 fighters fired warning shots in response.

The incident took place near the disputed Liancourt Rocks. South Korea controls the islets, while sovereignty over them is contested by Japan, therefore Japan treats this incident as a violation of its airspace.