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Tensions rise as Japan’s Defense Ministry reported that Japanese F-15 and F-35 fighter jets used flares to warn a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that breached Japanese airspace above Rebun Island, just off the coast of Hokkaido. This marks the first time Japan has employed flares to respond to an airspace violation, highlighting the seriousness of the situation. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that the Russian Il-38 plane violated Japanese airspace for about a minute in three separate instances during its five-hour flight, following joint Chinese and Russian naval activity around northern Japan’s coastlines. Japan has strongly protested the airspace breach and demanded preventive measures from Russia. This incident comes amid growing military cooperation between China and Russia, prompting Japan to reinforce defenses in strategic regions. Japan scrambled its jets nearly 669 times between April 2023 and March 2024, primarily against Chinese aircraft. The increased military a