Aso Bay, Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, along the Tsushima Strait running between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula., and also a region targeted by Chinese military aircraft in recent months.
Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have been placed on high alert after fighters and bombers flew over the Sea of Japan in a joint maneuver staged by China and Russia on November 29.
Japanese jets were scrambled in response, alongside planes from the air force of South Korea. Officials in Tokyo said that there was no violation of Japan's airspace during the operation that Friday.
The Chinese milked the event for propaganda purposes. They emphasized President Xi Jinping's determination to expand and modernize the People's Liberation Army (PLA). They also highlighted his wish for his troops to cooperate closely with Russian soldiers.
China even supplied the media with photographs of planes in flight.
South Korea's military concluded that eleven aircraft were involved.
This sortie offered the world a glimpse of a Chinese bomber known as the H-6N. Experts believe this aircraft can carry hypersonic missiles or even nuclear weapons.
Assessing the Threat
For Japan's defense chiefs, coordinated military action between China and Russia is a matter of great concern.
Both countries' air forces and navies have been operating extremely close to Japan in 2024. There are also signs that the nations may coordinate in other domains, such as space and cyber.
In September, there was a dramatic incident when Russian jets accompanying a flotilla of warships from China violated Japanese airspace. This prompted JSDF fighter pilots to shoot flares near the Russian aircraft, the first such incident of its kind.
Tokyo's response was stern. Russia was informed that it must not allow any further such violations in the future.
Many countries recognize Japan's concerns. The United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, and even Saudi Arabia are helping the JSDF to procure new defense equipment.
G7 foreign ministers gathered in Italy during the week of November 25. In their joint statement, they condemned China's "coercion and intimidation" in the seas around Japan.
The ministers also criticized China for supporting Russia's economy. They further stated that this was helping to finance President Vladimir Putin's continued attack on Ukraine.
The deployment of North Korean soldiers to the Russian army also "marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for Europe and the Indo-Pacific," they said.
A Deepening Alliance
Condemnation from the G7 did not deter the Russian defense minister Andrei Belousov from making a high-profile visit to North Korea over the weekend, however.
He met Kim Jong Un, who praised Russia for its military achievements. Kim further stated that he is keen to incorporate successful practices and technologies into the North Korean army.
Remarkably, Belousov claimed that a strategic partnership between Putin and Kim earlier this year was aimed at "stabilizing" Northeast Asia.
"The agreement aims to reduce the risk of war, including nuclear weapons, and to make a positive contribution to maintaining the balance of power in the region," Belousov also said.
G7 ministers in Italy took a quite different view.
Their joint communique, signed by Japan's foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya, stated:
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric as well as its posture of strategic intimidation. We will never tolerate threats to use nuclear weapons - let alone any use of nuclear weapons - by Russia in the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine."
China's Military Turmoil
Japan's latest Defense White Paper, published in July, warned that a serious situation like Russia's aggression against Ukraine may occur in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in East Asia.
It also expressed "serious concern" over China's military activities and its hardline stance towards Taiwan.
Alongside propaganda glorifying the Chinese military and its strong ties with Russia, other reports paint a different picture. These sources suggest division, corruption, or even disloyalty among the Chinese army's top ranks.
A dramatic claim was published in the Financial Times on November 27. The newspaper said that the Chinese Defense Minister, Dong Jun, is being investigated on corruption charges.
This was intriguing. Two other defense ministers - Wei Fenghe and his successor, Li Shangfu - were also expelled from the Communist Party. Both of those were during recent corruption investigations.
A Chinese government spokesperson said that the story about Dong Jun was groundless. Reuters quoted a senior US official who suggested treating the report with caution.
Dong Jun's fate remains uncertain. However, the Chinese defense ministry did confirm that a top military official named Miao Hua had been removed from his post during a probe into "serious violations of discipline."
Chinese media tends to obscure the details of the charges against officials caught up in bribery probes, which are often linked to political purges.
Nevertheless, the dismissal of senior officers instills a mood of fear within all ranks of the PLA. Purges remind soldiers of the need for complete obedience to the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Journalist Jailed
Separately, China watchers are grappling with another development. A court in Beijing has sentenced a journalist to seven years in prison on espionage charges involving Japan.
Dong Yuyu was a senior columnist at the Communist Party newspaper Guangming Daily. He regularly met foreign reporters and diplomats as part of his job.
His family said:
"Today's verdict is a grave injustice not only to Yuyu and his family but also to every freethinking Chinese journalist and every ordinary Chinese committed to friendly engagement with the world."
Dong's family expressed shock at the actions of the Chinese authorities. They were particularly disturbed by attempts to smear a former Japanese ambassador to China and a senior diplomat as agents of an "espionage organization."
The Japanese Embassy in China told Agence France-Presse in China that it would not comment on the case. "In any case, the diplomatic activities of Japanese diplomatic missions abroad are carried out in a legitimate manner," an embassy spokesperson told reporters in an email.
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Author: Duncan Bartlett, Diplomatic Correspondent
Mr Bartlett is the Diplomatic Correspondent for JAPAN Forward and a Research Associate at the SOAS China Institute. Read his other articles and essays.
