Japanese SDF Fighter Jets Scrambled 595 Times in 2025, 60% Targeting China
Data released by Japan's Ministry of Defense shows that in FY2025, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets 595 times, with about 60% (366 sorties) targeting China. There was one airspace violation incident during the year, originating from China.
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- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 11:24
- 🔍 Collected: April 18, 2026 at 11:31 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 23:24 (11h 52m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA reporter Liao Wen-chi, Taipei, April 18) According to data released by the Japan Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense on the 17th, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled 595 times in FY2025 in response to foreign aircraft potentially violating airspace, approximately 60% (366 sorties) of which were directed at China. There was one incident of airspace violation, originating from China.
According to a report by Kyodo News, the Japan Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense released data on the 17th stating that in FY2025, Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled 595 times in response to foreign aircraft potentially violating airspace, a decrease of 109 sorties from the previous fiscal year.
From the perspective of target countries and regions (including estimations), sorties directed at China numbered 366, accounting for about 60%; sorties directed at Russia were 214. Both figures showed a decline compared to the previous fiscal year. Regarding the significant decrease compared to the previous fiscal year, the highest-ranking military official of the Ministry of Defense, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Hiroaki Ue-kura, stated at a press conference that "the number of scrambles remains at a high level." He only commented that "various factors need to be considered" for the substantial decrease.
According to the Ministry of Defense, there was one incident of airspace violation in FY2025, originating from China. Last May, near the Diaoyu Islands (called Senkaku Islands in Japan, Diaoyu Islands in China), a helicopter took off from a Chinese Coast Guard ship that had entered Japanese territorial waters.
The Ministry of Defense also mentioned special circumstances during emergency scrambles, including radar illumination of SDF fighter jets by aircraft launched from the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning in December last year, and long-range flights by Chinese and Russian bombers between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean east of Japan's Shikoku region in the same month.
Among the four Air Self-Defense Force air defense forces nationwide, the Southwestern Air Defense Force, responsible for the airspace including the Diaoyu Islands, had the highest number of scrambles at 348, consistent with trends in recent years. (Editor: Zhu Jianling) 1150418
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(CNA reporter Liao Wen-chi, Taipei, April 18) According to data released by the Japan Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense on the 17th, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled 595 times in FY2025 in response to foreign aircraft potentially violating airspace, approximately 60% (366 sorties) of which were directed at China. There was one incident of airspace violation, originating from China.
According to a report by Kyodo News, the Japan Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense released data on the 17th stating that in FY2025, Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled 595 times in response to foreign aircraft potentially violating airspace, a decrease of 109 sorties from the previous fiscal year.
From the perspective of target countries and regions (including estimations), sorties directed at China numbered 366, accounting for about 60%; sorties directed at Russia were 214. Both figures showed a decline compared to the previous fiscal year. Regarding the significant decrease compared to the previous fiscal year, the highest-ranking military official of the Ministry of Defense, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Hiroaki Ue-kura, stated at a press conference that "the number of scrambles remains at a high level." He only commented that "various factors need to be considered" for the substantial decrease.
According to the Ministry of Defense, there was one incident of airspace violation in FY2025, originating from China. Last May, near the Diaoyu Islands (called Senkaku Islands in Japan, Diaoyu Islands in China), a helicopter took off from a Chinese Coast Guard ship that had entered Japanese territorial waters.
The Ministry of Defense also mentioned special circumstances during emergency scrambles, including radar illumination of SDF fighter jets by aircraft launched from the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning in December last year, and long-range flights by Chinese and Russian bombers between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean east of Japan's Shikoku region in the same month.
Among the four Air Self-Defense Force air defense forces nationwide, the Southwestern Air Defense Force, responsible for the airspace including the Diaoyu Islands, had the highest number of scrambles at 348, consistent with trends in recent years. (Editor: Zhu Jianling) 1150418
Standing with the facts, your sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom
Download the CNA 'First News' APP for the latest updates
Content, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.