US nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets, Tokyo said, in a show of force following recent Chinese and Russian military exercises near Japan and South Korea. Japan and the US “reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force and confirmed the readiness posture of both the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and US forces,” Japan’s defense ministry said Thursday.

Two US B-52 strategic bombers flew with three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters and three F-15 air-superiority jets, marking the first US military display in the region since China began exercises last week. The operation comes after Chinese and Russian strategic bombers conducted a joint flight over the East China Sea and western Pacific on Tuesday, alongside Chinese aircraft carrier drills that prompted Japan to scramble jets, which Tokyo said had been targeted by radar.

Washington criticized the incident, calling it “not conducive to regional peace and stability,” while reaffirming its “unwavering” alliance with Japan. Japan and South Korea host US forces, with Japan home to the largest concentration of American military assets overseas, including an aircraft carrier strike group and a US Marine expeditionary force.

China denied Tokyo’s claims, asserting that Japanese jets flying near its carrier endangered its operations south of Japan. South Korea also scrambled fighter jets when Chinese and Russian aircraft entered its air defense identification zone on Tuesday. Regional tensions have escalated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last month on possible responses to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan. China claims Taiwan, which is just over 100 km from Japanese territory and lies along vital sea lanes, and has not ruled out using force to seize the island.