US and Japan Conduct Joint Air Exercises in Response to China-Russia Joint Patrol
Japan announced on Thursday that it held joint air exercises with the United States, demonstrating military strength, amid China-Russia joint patrols and deteriorating relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
Tokyo said that on Tuesday, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea and met with two Chinese "H-6" bombers, then conducted a joint flight around Japan. The Japanese side had urgently dispatched fighter jets in response.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff stated that the Japan-US air force joint exercise held on Wednesday was conducted under the context of "an increasingly severe security environment around our country."
According to another statement from the agency, the US-Japan "tactical exercise" conducted in Japanese airspace involved two US B-52 bombers and three Japanese F-35 and three F-15 fighter jets.
The department wrote on X: "Through this exercise, we confirmed that Japan and the United States will not tolerate any unilateral use of force to change the status quo, and also confirmed the readiness of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the US military."
According to Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded on Thursday to the China-Russia joint patrol near Japan's periphery, stating that the patrol is part of an annual cooperation plan, and Japan does not need to make a big deal out of it.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1851222670531659/
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