Violations of Japanese airspace
Appearance
Violations of Japanese airspace have occurred on a number of occasions. There have been 39 cases from 1967 to 2017. The vast majority have involved Soviet aircraft during the Cold War, or Russian aircraft afterwards.
There have been several prominent cases of airspace violations.
- Viktor Belenko MiG-25 defection (September 6, 1976)[1]
- Soviet Tu-16 violation of airspace over Okinawa (December 9, 1987)[2]
In addition to actual violations there are many cases of foreign aircraft skirting Japanese airspace or entering Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone. In 2016 fighter squadrons of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) aircraft launched 851 times to intercept Chinese aircraft and 301 times in response to Russian aircraft.[3]
List of airspace violations
Number | Date | Location | Country | Aircraft type (number) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 19, 1967 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1) |
2 | February 7, 1974 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1) |
3 | September 24, 1975 | Shikine-jima/Kōzu-shima, Tokyo | USSR | Tu-95 (2) |
4 | September 6, 1976 | Hokkaido | USSR | MiG-25 (1)[4] |
5 | September 7, 1977 | Gotō Islands, Nagasaki | USSR | Tu-95 (2) |
6 | March 17, 1978 | Tsushima Island, Nagasaki | USSR | Tu-95 (1) |
7 | December 5, 1978 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1) |
8 | November 15th, 1979 | Senkaku Islands, Okinawa | USSR | Tu-95 (2) |
9 | June 29, 1980 | Hegura-jima, Ishikawa | USSR | Ilyushin Il-38 (2) |
10 | August 18, 1980 | Gotō Islands, Nagasaki | USSR | Ilyushin Il-62 (1) |
11 | June 6, 1981 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Ilyushin Il-14 (1) |
12 | June 24, 1981 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1) |
13 | April 3, 1981 | Danjogun, Nagasaki | USSR | Il-62 (1) |
14 | October 15, 1983 | Shiretoko, Hokkaido | USSR | MiG-23? (2?)[5] |
15 | November 15, 1982 | Okinoshima, Fukuoka | USSR | Tu-16 (1), Tu-95 (1) |
16 | November 12, 1983 | Okinoshima, Fukuoka | USSR | Tu-16 (1) |
17 | November 23, 1983 | Okinoshima, Fukuoka | USSR | Tu-95 (1), Tu-142 (1) |
18 | February 6, 1986 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1)[6] |
19 | August 27, 1987 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Unknown (1) |
20 | December 9, 1987 | Okinawa | USSR | Tu-16 (1)[7][8][9] |
21 | April 21, 1989 | Rebun, Okinawa | USSR | Unknown (1) |
22 | July 6, 1991 | Nemuro, Hokkaido | USSR | An-30 |
23 | August 15, 1991 | Rebun, Hokkaido | USSR | Tu-95 (2) |
24 | April 10, 1992 | Rebun/Wakkanai, Hokkaido | Russia | An-12 |
25 | May 7, 1992 | Sea near Hokkaido | Russia | Unknown (1) |
26 | July 28, 1992 | Tsushima Island, Nagasaki | Russia | Tu-154 (2) |
27 | August 31, 1993 | Kukujima, Aomori Prefecture | Russia | Il-20 (1) |
28 | March 25, 1994 | Senkaku Islands, Okinawa | Taiwan | Beechcraft King Air B350 |
29 | March 23, 1995 | Rebun, Hokkaido | Russia | MiG-31 |
30 | February 14, 2001 | Rebun, Hokkaido | Russia | Tu-22M (2), Tu-22(?) (2)[10] |
31 | April 11, 2001 | Rebun, Hokkaido | Russia | Unknown (1) |
32 | April 11, 2001 | Kukujima, Aomori Prefecture | Russia | Su-24 |
33 | January 25, 2005 | Rebun, Hokkaido | Russia | An-72 |
34 | February 9, 2008 | Izu Islands/Lot's Wife (crag), Tokyo | Russia | Tu-95 (1)[11][12][13] |
35 | December 13, 2012 | Uotsurishima, Okinawa | China | Y-12 (1)[14][15] |
36 | February 7, 2013 | Rishiri Island, Hokkaido | Russia | Su-27 (2)[16][17][18] |
37 | August 22, 2013 | Okinoshima, Fukuoka | Russia | Tu-95 (2)[19][20] |
38 | September 15, 2015 | Nemuro, Hokkaido | Russia? | Fisheries monitoring?[21][20][22][23] |
39 | May 18, 2017 | Senkaku Islands, Okinawa | China | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle[24][25] |
See also
References
- ^ Thompson, Paul JASDF Squadron Histories - 302nd Squadron J-HangarSpace Retrieved August 14, 2017
- ^ Japanese Jet Warns Soviet Plane December 10, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 14, 2017
- ^ Japan Air Self-Defense Force: Chinese Intercepts Down 50, Russia Up 60 Percent July 17, 2017 The Diplomat Retrieved September 20, 2017
- ^ The pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet September 5, 2016 BBC Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Kimura, Hiroshi Japanese-Russian Relations Under Brezhnev and Andropov page 247 Published 2000. Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Pak, Chi Young The Korean Straits Published 1988, Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Japanese Jet Warns Soviet Plane December 10, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Japan Given Apology by Soviet December 11, 1987 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Soviet Union apologizes to Japan over airspace violation December 16, 1987 United Press International Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Russian military planes enter Japanese airspace February 15, 2001 Japan Times Retrieved October 2, 2017
- ^ Violation of Japanese Airspace by Russian Aircraft (February 9, 2008) Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Japan Says Russian Bomber Violated Its Airspace February 10, 2008 New York Times Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Orgs, Andrew Lee & Tatsumi, Yuki Global Security Watch - Japan page 105 Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ China's activities surrounding Japan's airspace Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Japan increases defense budget for first time in 11 years January 7, 2013 The Hankyoreh Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Russian fighters intrude into Japanese airspace on isle row day, spurring protest February 8, 2013 Japan Times Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Did Russian Jets Violate Japanese Airspace? February 8, 2013 The Diplomat Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Russian fighter jets 'breach Japan airspace' February 7, 2013 BBC Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Japan accuses Russia of air space intrusion; Moscow denies it August 22, 2013 Reuters Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ a b Japan protests after ‘Russian’ plane enters airspace September 16, 2015 News Inquirer Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Japan scrambles jets after ‘Russian’ plane enters airspace September 16, 2015 Stars and Stripes Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Statistics on scrambles through fiscal year 2015 April 22, 2016 Ministry of Defense Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Suspected Russian aircraft violates Japanese airspace near disputed islands September 16, 2017 San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ Japan scrambles jets over China drone flight near disputed islets May 18, 2017 Reuters Retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ Drone spotted with Chinese ships in Japan’s territorial waters May 19, 2017 Stars and Stripes Retrieved August 17, 2017