TOKYO: Japan’s Defense Ministry spotted four Chinese and Russian bombers flying jointly near Japan over a long distance from the Sea of Japan toward the East China Sea on Thursday, according to the ministry’s Joint Staff Office.

It was the first such joint flight since June.

Seeing the joint flight as an obvious demonstration of military power by China and Russia, the Japanese government relayed its grave security concerns to the two countries through diplomatic channels.

The ministry said Thursday that the joint flight took place from the morning to the afternoon the same day.

Two Chinese bombers that flew from the East China Sea joined two Russian bombers over the Sea of Japan. The four bombers, which passed through the Tsushima Strait to reach the East China Sea, were joined on the way by 13 planes, including a fighter, an electronic warfare aircraft and a patrol plane.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it has conducted a joint patrol.

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force scrambled its fighters in response to the sightings of the bombers, while there was no violation of Japanese territorial airspace.

JIJI Press