The Daily Populous Wednesday December 10th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by www3.nhk.or.jp and submitted by Lone-T

Japan's Defense Ministry says Chinese and Russian military bombers conducted a joint flight on Tuesday from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Japanese island of Shikoku.

The ministry says the flight was clearly intended as a show of force toward Japan.

Ministry officials say two Russian military bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea and carried out a coordinated flight with two Chinese military bombers to the Pacific on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

They say the bombers were joined by four Chinese fighter jets as they made the round trip between Okinawa's main island and Miyakojima Island, both part of Japan.

The Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets to conduct surveillance operations. There were no violations of Japanese airspace.

The Defense Ministry says it was the first time Chinese and Russian military aircraft had conducted a joint flight into Pacific airspace off Shikoku, and it was the first such activity to be carried out while a Chinese aircraft carrier is deployed in the Pacific.

The ministry says Japan has conveyed serious concerns to China and Russia through diplomatic channels.

Editorial Note: The earlier version of this story said "two Russian and two Chinese military bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea." But the two Chinese bombers did not fly from the Sea of Japan.

M0therN4ture on December 10th, 2025 at 09:33 UTC »

Axis of Evil shaping up nicely.

Mephisto1822 on December 10th, 2025 at 09:11 UTC »

They didn’t violate Japanese airspace. Is it a show of force? Sure but it isn’t as aggressive as I think people might think. Russia flys close to US airspace up in Alaska like once a month. Plus we (the US) is always flying around Chinas man made islands and sailing through seas China claims. Though technically still recognized as international water.

I see this as a little tit for tat. Nothing to lose sleep over, unless you’re a Japanese defense force pilot. If this keeps up you’ll probably be scrambled more often to shadow etc.

Lone-T on December 10th, 2025 at 09:03 UTC »

SS: Japan's Defense Ministry reported on Dec 10, 2025, that two Chinese and two Russian bombers executed a joint patrol from the East China Sea into Pacific airspace off Shikoku—the first such incursion there—coinciding with four Chinese fighters circling between Okinawa and Miyakojima, prompting ASDF scrambles amid a simultaneous Chinese carrier deployment. Labeled a "clear show of force" toward Tokyo, this Sino-Russian aerial flex underscores deepening military ties challenging U.S. Indo-Pacific dominance, especially as it shadows escalating U.S.-Japan drills and Beijing's Taiwan saber-rattling.