40 Chinese Fighter Jets Buzzed Senkaku Islands

And the prime minister of Japan is doing cosplay on a tank.

Sankei Shinbun who reported the news doesn't say whether the Japanese airspace was breached.

From Sankei Shinbun (4/27/2013):

尖閣諸島（沖縄県石垣市）周辺の日本領海に中国の海洋監視船「海監」８隻が侵入した２３日、中国軍の戦闘機など軍用機が４０機以上、尖閣周辺に飛来していたことが分かった。複数の政府高官が２６日、明らかにした。軍用機は戦闘機が大半で、新型のＳｕ２７とＳｕ３０を投入。航空自衛隊の戦闘機パイロットの疲弊を狙って絶え間なく押し寄せた。政府高官は「前代未聞の威嚇だ」と指摘している。

On April 23 when eight Chinese patrol ships entered the Japan's territorial water around Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture), there were more than 40 Chinese military planes including fighter jets flying near Senkaku, it has been revealed. Multiple government officials told [Sankei Shinbun] on April 26. The planes were mostly fighter jets including the latest Su27 and Su30. They came in incessant waves to wear out the Air Self Defense Force pilots. The government officials say "It was an unprecedented intimidation."

政府は、中国軍機の威嚇飛行について、海監の領海侵入と連動していたと分析している。海上保安庁の警備態勢や海上自衛隊の護衛艦、Ｐ３Ｃ哨戒機の配置を軍用機が上空から情報収集し、海監に伝える狙いもあったとみられる。

The national government thinks the Chinese military planes were in coordination with the patrol ships that violated the territorial water. The military planes may have been collecting information on the security measures by the Maritime Safety Agency and arrangement of the Maritime Self Defense Force's escort vessels and P3C patrol planes, and passing that information to the patrol ship, according to the government sources.

海監８隻は２３日午前７時２３分ごろから８時２５分ごろにかけ、尖閣周辺の海域で相次ぎ領海に入った。うち１隻は尖閣諸島の魚釣島の北西約１キロまで近づいた。８隻は同日午後７時半ごろまでに領海を出た。

Eight patrol ships entered the territorial water near Senkaku Island from 7:23AM to 8:25AM on April 23. One of the ships came as close as 1 kilometer northwest off the Uotsuri Island. The eight ships departed from the territorial water by 7:30PM.

領海侵入を始めた頃、戦闘機など軍用機も尖閣周辺に飛来し始めた。入れ代わり立ち代わり尖閣周辺上空に接近し、その都度、航空自衛隊那覇基地のＦ１５戦闘機などが緊急発進（スクランブル）で対処。飛来してきた中国軍機は延べ４０機以上に上った。

As the ships started to enter the territorial water, military planes including fighter jets started to arrive in the area near Senkaku. The planes approached the area around Senkaku one after another, and F15 fighter jets from the Air Self Defense Force at Naha Base (in Okinawa) responded each time with scramble. The total number of the Chinese military planes was more than 40.

Sukhoi-30, from Wikipedia:

F-15J Eagle (by Mitsubishi):

Well, what are you going to do now, Mr. Abe? Anything? There is absolutely no point in ramping up the rhetoric when there's no action.

(Oh I forgot. He's not reality-based. He just loves to play a tank commander in Makuhari Messe.)

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