Japan scrambled fighter jets Monday after a Chinese military aircraft “violated” Japanese airspace, the defense ministry said.
The Chinese aircraft “were confirmed to have violated the airspace over the Danjo Islands, Nagasaki Prefecture,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Japan had scrambled “fighter jets for emergencies.”
China's “Y-9 intelligence-gathering” aircraft entered Japanese airspace at 11:29 a.m. for about two minutes, the ministry said.
There has been no comment from Chinese authorities.
Local media, including public broadcasters NHKsaying the incident marked the first incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into Japanese airspace.
Japan's defense ministry said steps were taken by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) such as “issuing a warning” to the aircraft, but NHK reported that no weapons, such as flare guns, were used as a warning signal.
In response to the incident, Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned China's acting ambassador to Japan on Monday evening, and “filed a strong protest” with the official, as well as calling for measures to prevent a recurrence, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In response, Chinese diplomats said the issue would be reported to Beijing, according to the ministry.
Japanese and Chinese vessels have previously been involved in tense incidents in disputed areas, particularly the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, known to Beijing as the Diaoyu islands.
The remote island chain has sparked diplomatic tensions and has been the site of confrontations between Japanese coast guard vessels and Chinese fishing boats.
Beijing has become increasingly aggressive about its claims to the islands in recent years, with Tokyo reporting the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels, a navy ship and even a nuclear-powered submarine.
In the past, two non-military aircraft from China – a propeller plane and a small drone – were confirmed to have entered Japanese airspace near the Senkaku Islands in 2012 and 2017, according to NHK.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea – through which trillions of dollars of trade passes each year – despite an international court ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
The Danjo Islands are a group of small islands in the East China Sea, off the coast of Nagasaki prefecture, in southern Japan.
Japan has in recent years strengthened security ties with the U.S. to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the region, boosting defense spending and acting to have “counterattack” capabilities. At the same time, Japan has boosted military ties with the Philippines, which has also been involved in recent territorial confrontations, and South Korea. (uh/ab)
