(C) AL Arabiya

Chinese and Russian bombers have caused ripples in the East Asian security landscape by showcasing their flight capability targeting Tokyo, as they flew northeastward to the south of Japan's Shikoku island.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, citing an announcement by Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office on the 13th, reported, "Two Chinese H-6K bombers and two Russian Tu-95MS (Bear) bombers passed between Okinawa Island and Miyakojima on the 9th, then suddenly turned 90 degrees northeast from the southwest direction and flew to the sea south of Shikoku."

It was assessed that if this flight path were extended, it would connect in a straight line toward Tokyo and the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, suggesting a strong character of a 'demonstration of access to the metropolitan area.' It is the first time on record that Chinese and Russian bombers have jointly penetrated the Pacific Ocean south of Shikoku.

The Chinese H-6K deployed in this mission is a strategic bomber capable of operating nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, and can carry up to six CJ-20 air-to-surface missiles with a range exceeding 1,500 km. The Tu-95MS is also Russia's representative long-range bomber, with a maximum range of over 10,000 km, capable of launching Kh-101 and Kh-55 type cruise missiles.

A Japanese Ministry of Defense official commented, "There was an intention to demonstrate the capability to bomb Tokyo." In the past, Chinese bombers often followed a pattern of passing south of Okinawa and heading toward Guam, but the latest flight, turning toward the Japanese mainland, is highly unusual.

As the flight path of the Chinese and Russian bombers, which entered the area from south of Okinawa to near Shikoku, was shown to extend directly over Tokyo airspace, analysis suggests it was a demonstration mission focused on 'striking the Japanese mainland.' Following the unauthorized entry of Chinese and Russian military aircraft into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) just ten days prior, the move by the two countries to expand their joint air operations across East Asia has prompted successive protests from the South Korean and Japanese governments.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff previously scrambled Air Force fighter jets in response to the intrusion of eight Chinese and Russian military aircraft into KADIZ at the end of November, stating, "There was no prior notification upon entering the identification zone." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the defense attachés of the Chinese and Russian embassies in South Korea to lodge a strong protest, calling it an "act of provocation near our airspace." The Japanese government also conveyed similar protest intentions through the Russian and Chinese embassies immediately after the flight on the 9th and raised its alert status within the Ministry of Defense.

Experts interpret this flight as a "strategic demonstration against the U.S.-Japan-South Korea missile defense network." Since 2019, China and Russia have conducted joint bomber flights once or twice a year, and the flight range has expanded from the Yellow Sea to the East China Sea, and now to the Pacific Ocean.

A military official said, "The simultaneous display of the H-6K's nuclear capability and the Tu-95's long-range flight characteristics has a strong element of an 'experiment linking nuclear strategy.' It is likely a series of strategic path tests targeting not only Tokyo but also U.S. bases in Okinawa, Guam, and Yokosuka."