Japan’s Air Self Defense Force announced that Fiscal Year 2011 was a record setting year for intercepts of foreign military aircraft entering Japan’s air space.

425 Japanese fighters were scrambled (usually F-15 Eagles), which is 39 more than 2010.

247 intercept missions were against Russian aircraft.  156 missions against Chinese aircraft.

The JASDF says Russia and China have greatly increased their military reconnaissance flights around Japan.  JASDF also pointed out that such intercept missions dropped sharply when the Cold War ended (officially in 1991), but have seen an even sharper increase since 2005.

Japan’s fiscal year ends in March.