Japan Scrambles Asdf Jets More Than 1,000 Times In Fy2021
Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets were scrambled 1,004 times in the fiscal year ending March, mainly due to Chinese aircraft.
The figure, released by the Defense Ministry, is up 279 from the previous year, and the second highest on record.
ASDF jets were scrambled 722 times because of approaching Chinese planes. The figure is about 70 percent of the total, and up more than 260 on the year before.
Ministry officials say many of those incidents involved Chinese reconnaissance planes. They say this is reason to believe that Beijing is stepping up intelligence-gathering activities.
ASDF jets were scrambled 266 times because of Russian aircraft, up eight on the year before.
Joint flights by Chinese and Russian bombers were also confirmed near Japan last November. They have now staged such operations three years in a row.
ASDF jets were scrambled a record 1,168 times in fiscal 2016.