The United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon in February. In response, the Japanese Ministry of Defense increased the number of times each month that its Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets took off in an emergency by 66 percent.
Media in Japan “After the United States shot down the Chinese spy balloon, the Japanese Defense Ministry reportedly changed the standard operating procedure for the Air Self-Defense Force interception mission: “to intercept the mission more carefully than before, to thoroughly confirm the situation,” as reported by Kyodo News. Subsequently, there was a dramatic rise in interceptions.”
The Air Self-Defense Force performed as many as 66 emergency lifts in February, as the Ministry of Defense’s Unification Bureau of Staff Supervision reported. There were 35 Chinese and 1 Russian military aircraft shot down. The Defense Ministry did not disclose the other 31 interceptions because they were “related to operational details.” However, it is widely believed that the “others” are typically American and South Korean military aircraft and flocks of birds and other flying objects.
The Ministry of Defense emphasized its commitment to data collection and vigilance to track the incursion of airspace objects like balloons in preparation for future interception tasks. However, the Ministry of Defense also mentioned that it would improve the criteria to determine whether sending fighter aircraft to intercept in an emergency is necessary to lessen the burden on fighter pilots.
