The Japanese Ministry of Defense reported a sharp increase in emergency interceptions carried out by the Air Self-Defense Force in December 2025.
According to data published by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on January 16, 2026, 79 alert takeoffs were carried out in December alone to intercept foreign military aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
By comparison, only 33 intercept takeoffs were recorded in November, an increase of 46 missions in just one month. These data reflect airspace surveillance operations conducted continuously throughout the national territory.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chinese military aircraft were responsible for 53 interceptions in December, while Russian aircraft were responsible for 23.
Three other takeoffs were classified by the Japanese ministry as “other,” a designation used when the origin of the aircraft is not immediately confirmed. No takeoffs in response to North Korean or Taiwanese aircraft were recorded during the month.
The December data brought the total number of takeoffs for the 2025 calendar year to 448, confirming a pattern of high aviation activity near Japan observed throughout the year.
The figures also show that activity peaked twice in the latest quarter, with 71 takeoffs in October and 79 in December, after a brief dip in November.
Most of December’s takeoffs occurred in Japan’s southwestern airspace, which recorded 54 takeoffs, according to the detail provided by the ministry. Northern airspace recorded six takeoffs, Western airspace 11, while Central airspace recorded eight.
+ Poland conducts winter tests of the KUNA robotic vehicle
Photo: Wikimedia | X @jointstaffpa. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
