Japan's defense minister said the use of flares was a legitimate response to airspace violation and "we plan to use it without hesitation."

Russian patrol aircraft were intercepted by Japanese fighter jets after Moscow's planes violated the Western-ally's airspace, Tokyo has said.

The Russian aircraft intruded three times and ignored radio warnings, prompting flares from Japan’s self defense aircrafts.

Russian planes violated Japanese airspace north of Rebun Island in Hokkaido three times between 1pm and 3pm local time today. Sanctions have seen car exports from Japan to Russia fall away by 45 perce

After a Russian military patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace, Japan's Self-Defense Force dispatched an aircraft that, for the first time, fired flares in 'an anti-airspace violation action.'

In a rare move, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled F-15 and F-35 fighter jets from the Northern Air Defense Forces to intercept a Russian IL-38 patrol aircraft that violated Japanese airspace.

The Japanese government announced on Monday that a Russian patrol aircraft breached its airspace three times, prompting a formal warning.