Japanese Fighter Jets Scrambled 704 Times in FY2024

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled its fighter aircraft 704 times in fiscal year (FY) 2024 in response to foreign military aircraft approaching the country’s airspace. That marked an increase of 5.2 percent compared with the same period in FY2023.

The Joint Staff Office of the Ministry of Defense said in an April 10 statement that there were 35 more scrambles in FY2024 compared to the previous fiscal year.

It also said that out of the 704 scrambles, JASDF fighters responded 464 times (65.9 percent of the total) to movements by Chinese aircraft around Japanese airspace between April 2024 and March 2025, down 15 compared with the same period in FY2023.

By comparison, Tokyo scrambled fighters 237 times (33.7 percent of the total) in response to Russian aircraft, up 63 from the same period previous year and the highest number since FY2021.

This means that almost all of the total, or 99.6 percent, involved Japan’s countermeasures against aircraft from China or Russia.

The number of scrambles against aircraft approaching Japanese territorial airspace hit a record high of 1,168 in FY2016, and has remained around 700 for the past three years.

“In the long run, the overall number of scrambles has remained high. We are now trying to do as much as we can to reduce the number of scrambles, even if the same number of aircraft are flying in, by making our own scrambling more efficient,” General Yoshida Yoshihide, the chief of staff of the Joint Staff, said at a press conference on April 10.

Regarding Chinese aircraft, Yoshida said he is noting a significant increase in drone flights around Japan.

The JASDF scrambled fighter jets to in response to 30 different approaches by Chinese military drones in FY2024. This is the highest number since the JASDF first scrambled fighter jets against a drone believed to be of Chinese origin flying around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are administered by Japan but claimed by China, in September 2013. The 30 Chinese drones in FY2024 surpassed the combined total of 26 drones in the 10 previous years, from FY2013 to FY2023.

On June 4, 2024, one TB-001 reconnaissance/attack drone passed between the main island of Okinawa and Miyako Island, flew over the Pacific Ocean, and then headed north, proceeding for the first time to the east of Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture. Following a similar flight route, on February 26, 2025, one BZK-005 reconnaissance drone and one GJ-2 reconnaissance/attack drone each flew to the waters off Amami Oshima. In addition, on February 28 this year, one TB-001 reconnaissance/attack drone also flew to the waters off Amami Oshima.

While Chinese military drones have been increasingly active around Japan, up until now they have mainly been reconnaissance drones. The WL-10 and the GJ-2, which also serve as attack drones, were spotted for the first time in FY2024.

Yoshida analyzed, “It appears that the Chinese military has moved from the stage of trial flights of drones to a stage where they can be put into operation.”

In the most notable incident, the Joint Staff Office cited the first-ever intrusion by a Chinese military Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft into Japan's airspace on August 26 last year. The Chinse aircraft was spotted flying above Japanese territorial waters off the coast of the Danjo Islands in Goto City in the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki Prefecture.

This was the first confirmed violation of Japan’s airspace by a Chinese military aircraft since the Japan Self-Defense Forces began taking measures against such violations in 1958.

As another notable incident, a Russian IL-38 reconnaissance aircraft entered Japanese airspace near Rebun Island in Hokkaido three times in a single day on September 23 last year, prompting the JASDF to scramble fighter jets to intercept and warn off the aircraft with flares. This was the first time the JASDF has used flares in response to an airspace violation, according to the Joint Staff Office statement. 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stressed at a press conference on April 4 that Tokyo will first and foremost ensure vigilance and surveillance, and will also take all possible measures against airspace incursions in accordance with international law and the Self-Defense Forces Act in order to resolutely protect Japan's territorial land, waters, and airspace.