Russian Nuclear-Capable Bombers Join China Patrol Near Japan in Escalating Show of Force

Russian nuclear-capable bombers flying alongside Chinese warplanes in a long-range patrol around Japan have jolted an already tense Northeast Asia, prompting emergency scrambles by Japanese and South Korean jets and a pointed show of allied power by the United States. On December 9–10, 2025, Russia and China conducted what both described as a planned “strategic air patrol” over the East China Sea and western Pacific, while Tokyo and Seoul condemned the maneuvers as an unmistakable display of military pressure at their doorstep.

Eight-Hour Patrol With Nuclear-Capable Bombers

Japan’s Defense Ministry reported that two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers rendezvoused with two Chinese H-6 bombers over the East China Sea before circling Japan’s southwest approaches, flying between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island and then toward waters off Shikoku. The patrol lasted roughly eight hours, according to Russian and Chinese statements.

Both the Tu-95 and H-6 families are capable of carrying nuclear weapons or long-range cruise missiles, making their coordinated appearance close to Japanese airspace a stark reminder of the growing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Russia’s Defence Ministry said Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying aircraft and Chinese H-6 bombers were supported by fighter escorts along the route, while China’s Defence Ministry framed the flight as part of an “annual cooperation plan.”

Japan and South Korea Scramble Fighters

Tokyo and Seoul responded by launching their own fighter jets. Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force scrambled aircraft to track the bombers and their escorts, including Chinese J-16 fighters and Russian Su-30 jets, as they skirted Japan’s airspace but stayed outside its 12-nautical-mile territorial boundary. Japan’s Defense Ministry said the joint flight represented an “expansion and intensification” of Russian and Chinese military activity around Japan and vowed to “strictly implement air defense measures” against potential violations.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that seven Russian and two Chinese aircraft entered its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the Sea of Japan and southern coastal waters the same day, again without prior notification, prompting Seoul to dispatch its own jets “to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies.” The South Korean military stressed that although there was no formal airspace violation, the activity was part of a pattern of joint patrols that have repeatedly crossed into its ADIZ since 2019.

Tokyo Sees ‘Deliberate Intimidation’

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi minced few words, calling the exercise a calculated show of strength directed at Japan. In a statement posted on X, he said the “repeated joint bomber flights” by Russia and China “clearly represent a show of force against Japan” and are “a serious concern for Japan’s national security,” language that underscores how deeply Tokyo views the flights as political messaging as much as military maneuver.

The bomber patrol came just days after Japanese officials accused Chinese warplanes of locking fire-control radar on Japanese aircraft near disputed waters—an action Tokyo labeled “dangerous” and destabilizing. Analysts in Japan and abroad saw the patrol as part of Beijing’s retaliation for recent comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting Japan could play a role in a Taiwan contingency, remarks that infuriated China and triggered economic and diplomatic pressure on Tokyo.

U.S. Responds With Its Own Bomber Flyover

Within 24 hours of the patrol, the United States mounted a high-profile counter-message. Two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers, also nuclear-capable, flew over the Sea of Japan in coordinated drills with Japan’s F-35 and F-15 fighters, in what Tokyo’s Defense Ministry described as an explicit demonstration of allied readiness and deterrence. The U.S. military said the flight was intended to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to Japan’s defense and to oppose any “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force” in the region.

This tit-for-tat sequence—Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable bombers near Japan, followed by American bombers flying with Japanese jets over the same waters—illustrates how the Western Pacific has become a theater for overlapping demonstrations of strategic reach. For Washington and Tokyo, visibly pairing long-range U.S. assets with Japanese fighters is a way to reassure audiences at home and abroad that the alliance will not be cowed by Sino-Russian coordination.

A Pattern of Joint Patrols, Not a One-Off

Despite the sharp rhetoric, this week’s patrol is not an isolated event. Since 2019, China and Russia have gradually normalized joint bomber flights around Japan and the Korean Peninsula as part of a deepening military partnership. China’s Defence Ministry has acknowledged at least 10 joint “strategic air patrols” over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and western Pacific since that year, all framed as part of annual cooperation plans between the two militaries.

In November 2024, South Korea scrambled fighters after five Chinese and six Russian aircraft entered its ADIZ during what Beijing described as the ninth such joint patrol. Seoul said there was no violation of its sovereign airspace but noted that Chinese and Russian planes had crossed into the zone on multiple occasions since 2019, each time prompting a rapid response.

Earlier joint patrols have flown even closer to U.S. interests. In July 2024, Chinese H-6K and Russian Tu-95 bombers approached Alaska, entering the U.S. and Canadian air defense identification zone and prompting NORAD to scramble fighters, an episode military analysts saw as a test of U.S. detection and response. Defense analysis has documented at least nine such Sino-Russian bomber missions between 2019 and mid-2024, with routes expanding from the Sea of Japan and East China Sea to include the western Pacific and near-Alaska airspace.

Moscow and Beijing: Routine Patrols in International Airspace

For their part, Russian and Chinese officials argue that the flights are lawful and routine. They emphasize that all patrols have taken place in international airspace, without crossing into any country’s sovereign skies, and say the missions are designed to enhance interoperability between their air forces rather than to threaten neighbors. Chinese military commentators have described the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific as the “doorsteps” of both countries, insisting they have every right to conduct joint strategic patrols there under the principle of freedom of navigation and overflight.

Moscow has also stressed that its Tu-95 aircraft are flying pre-declared routes and that foreign fighter jets often shadow them during patrols, a mirror image of how Russian interceptors track U.S. and NATO bombers near Russian borders. Russia’s Defence Ministry said that during the latest eight-hour patrol, strategic bombers were followed “at certain stages of the route” by fighter jets from foreign states, an apparent reference to Japanese and South Korean scrambles.

Strategic Signaling in a Crowded Sky

The timing and composition of the latest patrol suggest it was as much about political messaging as military training. By pairing nuclear-capable bombers with advanced fighters and an A-50 early warning aircraft, Russia and China are showcasing a capacity for coordinated long-range operations just as frictions spike over Taiwan, disputed islands and U.S. alliance commitments.

At the same time, Japan is in the midst of its own historic military buildup. Tokyo has pledged to raise defense spending to around 2% of GDP by 2027—roughly doubling its budget compared with the early 2020s—citing missile threats from North Korea and growing pressure from China and Russia. Official Japanese documents increasingly describe the security environment as “the most severe and complex since the end of World War II,” pointing to joint China–Russia operations as a key driver.

Rising Risk of Miscalculation

For now, all sides insist they are acting within international law. But with nuclear-capable bombers, radar locks, and rival jets often flying within a few dozen kilometers of one another, the risk of miscalculation is growing.

Each new patrol, scramble and counter-flyover adds another layer to an increasingly crowded and contested airspace over the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific. As Russia and China tighten their military coordination and U.S. allies respond in kind, managing that competition—without an accident or clash that spirals out of control—will be an urgent challenge for regional security in the years ahead.