Defense & Security

Chinese, Russian Bombers Flew Unusual Path by Heading Toward Tokyo; Move Likely Meant to Intimidate Japan

Courtesy of the Joint Staff
Chinese H-6 bomber

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:52 JST, December 13, 2025

Chinese and Russian bombers took an unusual route of flying toward Tokyo during their joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific on Tuesday, it has been learned.

The Chinese military aircraft were modified strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles, raising the possibility that China, in coordination with Russia, tried to intimidate Japan, putting the Japanese government on heightened alert.

The Chinese aircraft were H-6K bombers, a modernized version of the H-6, according to multiple government sources. It is capable of launching a CJ-20 air-to-ground cruise missile, which can deliver a nuclear warhead and has a maximum range of more than 1,500 kilometers.

Two H-6K bombers, two Russian Tu-95 bombers and other fighter jets flew between Okinawa Island and Miyakojima Island before heading northeast. They flew as far as the waters off Shikoku before turning back.

If the bombers continued on toward Tokyo, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka Base and the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka Base would have been in their flight path. The bombers’ flight path also overlapped with the route taken by the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning on Dec. 6, when its carrier-based military aircraft directed radar at Japanese Air Self-Defense Force jets.

According to a senior Self-Defense Force official, Chinese bombers previously flew routes toward Tokyo in 2017. However, it was the first time that Chinese and Russian bombers conducted a joint flight toward Tokyo.

Chinese military aircraft have frequently headed toward Guam, where a U.S. military base is located, after flying between Okinawa Island and Miyakojima Island.

The SDF official said the latest flight was likely meant to demonstrate the ability to attack Tokyo. It also might have been China’s latest act in response to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark at the Diet regarding a potential Taiwan contingency.