Tokyo: US bombers joined Japanese aircraft in show of force after Sino-Russian drills

(Patria) - US bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, Tokyo announced, in a show of force after Chinese and Russian drills in the skies and seas around US allies Japan and South Korea, Reuters reported.

Japan and the United States "reaffirmed their strong determination to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and confirmed the readiness and strength of the Self-Defense Forces and US forces," the Japanese Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.

The flight of two US B-52 strategic bombers with three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 air superiority aircraft was the first time the US confirmed its military presence since China began military exercises in the region last week amid heightened tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

However, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, downplayed the significance of the bomber flights, saying they were planned long before the Sino-Russian exercises and that US and Japanese military aircraft conducted similar joint flights last month, which also involved US B-1B bombers.

At the White House, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stated that US President Donald Trump can maintain both a "good working relationship" with China and a "very strong alliance" with Japan, even as tensions between the two countries have risen.
"Japan is a great ally of the United States, as evidenced by their personal relationships and our ongoing trade relations with Japan," she told reporters at a press briefing. "As for China, the President also has a good working relationship with President Xi, which he considers a good thing for our country."

The US bomber flights followed a joint flight of Chinese and Russian strategic bombers in the East China Sea and the western Pacific on Tuesday and separate Chinese aircraft carrier exercises that prompted Japan to scramble aircraft which Tokyo said were targeted by radar beams.

That latest incident drew criticism from the US State Department towards Beijing, although Trump, who plans to visit the Chinese capital next year for trade talks, told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month that he did not want to see further escalation of the dispute over Taiwan, according to two Japanese government sources.

Tensions flared last month when Takaichi told parliament that a Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, could trigger a military response from Tokyo. Taiwan lies just over 100 km from Japanese territory and is surrounded by sea lanes on which Tokyo relies.

China denied Tokyo's accusations of an encounter with the aircraft carrier, saying Japanese aircraft had jeopardized its air operations south of Japan. On Tuesday, the State Department said China's actions were "not conducive to regional peace and stability" and reaffirmed the US-Japan alliance as "unwavering".

Show of Force

Both Japan and South Korea host US forces, with Japan having the largest concentration of US military power overseas, including an aircraft carrier strike group and expeditionary forces of US Marines.

Japan's Chief of Staff, General Hiroaki Uchikura, said the joint flight of Chinese and Russian bombers was clearly a show of force directed against Japan. "We consider this a serious concern from the perspective of Japan's security," Uchikura told a press conference.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also shared Japan's concerns with NATO chief Mark Rutte in a phone call on Wednesday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the exercises with Russia were part of an annual cooperation plan to demonstrate the determination to "safeguard regional peace and stability".

"The Japanese side has no need to make a fuss about anything or take this personally," he said.

Activities Near South Korea and Taiwan

The South Korean military said it also scrambled fighter jets when Chinese and Russian aircraft entered its air defense identification zone on Tuesday, an area that extends beyond its airspace and is used for early warning.

Chinese warships and aircraft operate around Taiwan almost daily, which Taipei calls part of Beijing's ongoing pressure campaign.

On Thursday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported increased Chinese military presence for the second consecutive day.

Taiwan said it detected 27 aircraft, including H-6K bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, conducting a "joint combat readiness patrol," along with warships around the island.