Japan Scrambled Jets to Watch Chinese, Russian Bomber Formation

Chinese and Russian warplanes flew around Japan’s southern islands, following a course taken days earlier by China’s first aircraft carrier, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighters amid rising military tensions.

Two Russian bombers and six Chinese aircraft flew south of Okinawa into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, according to a statement from Japan’s Ministry of Defense. South Korea also scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese warplanes near its territory on the same day, according to a separate statement.