The Russian Il-38 maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft flew north of Rebun Island three times from 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., violating Japanese airspace with each encroachment lasting for 30 seconds to one minute, the defense ministry in Japan reported.

Japanese fighter jets fired warnings flares against a Russian military aircraft that Tokyo said repeatedly entered the country’s territorial airspace, in an unprecedented move against a foreign plane.

Japanese jet fighters fired warning flares at a Russian military reconnaissance plane that violated Japan’s airspace, the first time Tokyo has taken such an aggressive stance against incursions of its airspace.

A Russian Il-38 military patrol plane entered Japanese airspace for up to a minute over three instances near the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, above Rebun Island, the defence ministry said. The military scrambled an undisclosed number of F-15 and F-35 fighter jets which fired flares at the Russian aircraft after it apparently ignored their warnings,

Russian aircraft were intercepted in Japanese airspace - with Tokyo officials reporting that they fired warning flares in the direction of the aircrafts