American nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets, Tokyo reported on Thursday (December 11, 2025) in a show of force following Chinese and Russian maneuvers in the air and sea areas off the Japanese and South Korean coasts.
Through the exercise, which was conducted “against a backdrop of increasingly serious security situation in Japan,” Tokyo and Washington reaffirmed their “firm commitment not to allow unilateral changes to the ‘status quo’ through force” and the readiness of their armed forces, “thereby further strengthening the alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities,” according to the statement from the Japanese Defense Ministry.
The exercises, involving two B-52 subsonic strategic bombers of the US armed forces capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as well as three F-35 fighters and three F-15 fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, came a day after exercises by Chinese and Russian military aircraft around Japan and South Korea.
It is the first time the United States has shown military strength in the region since China began exercises last week amid tensions with the neighboring archipelago.
Both Japan and the US criticized the move by Beijing and Moscow. Washington noted that it was “not conducive to peace and stability in the region” and reaffirmed its “unbreakable” alliance with Tokyo.
Regional tensions have skyrocketed after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the National Parliament in early November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would justify intervention by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Although previous leaders had taken similar positions given the proximity of the self-governing island in the southwest of the archipelago, none had been so direct, triggering a strong reaction from Beijing, which has since retaliated diplomatically and economically.
jc (efe, reuters)
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