In brief
The April–September figure counts Japanese flights, rather than individual Russian aircraft, according to an analysis cited by UNIAN.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces flew 152 sorties to intercept Russian aircraft from April 1 to September 30, 2026, UNIAN reported on October 24, citing Defense Express analysis drawing on USNI News.
The analysis described both independent Russian flights towards Japan and joint Russian-Chinese strategic aviation flights. Aircraft mentioned included Su-35 fighters, Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, Tu-95MS bombers and Tu-142 aircraft.
Defense Express cautioned that interception sorties do not correspond directly to the number of foreign aircraft: the same aircraft can prompt interceptions on several days. UNIAN's report did not establish that these flights violated Japanese airspace.
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