Japan said its warplanes used flares to warn a Russian reconnaissance aircraft to leave northern Japanese airspace on Monday.

The Russian Il-38 maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft flew north of Rebun Island three times from 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., violating Japanese airspace with each encroachment lasting for 30 seconds to one minute, the defense ministry in Japan reported.

Japan's defense minister said the use of flares was a legitimate response to airspace violation and "we plan to use it without hesitation."

The infringements were the first by Russia in five years, according to the Japanese defense ministry. A fighter fired a warning flare in response.

After a Russian military patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace, Japan's Self-Defense Force dispatched an aircraft that, for the first time, fired flares in 'an anti-airspace violation action.'

A Russian Il-38 military patrol plane entered Japanese airspace for up to a minute over three instances near the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, above Rebun Island, the defence ministry said. The military scrambled an undisclosed number of F-15 and F-35 fighter jets which fired flares at the Russian aircraft after it apparently ignored their warnings,

For the first time in 60 years, Japanese fighter jets fired warning flares at a Russian reconnaissance aircraft that violated Japanese airspace, reports The Wall Street Journal. On Monday, the Russian Ilyushin Il-38 reconnaissance aircraft violated it three times.

Russian aircraft were intercepted in Japanese airspace - with Tokyo officials reporting that they fired warning flares in the direction of the aircrafts