In what would be the first time a Chinese aircraft has instantly violated Japanese airport, Japan has accused a Chinese spy planes of breaching its aircraft.
Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Y-9 surveillance plane “violated the territorial airspace” of Danjo islands at 11: 29 local time Monday ( 02: 29 GMT ).
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary called the breach “utterly unethical” and summoned a Chinese military official in Tokyo in opposition.
The event comes as tensions rise in the region, where China and its allies, including Japan, compete for control of the region.
Beijing has not yet issued an official answer.
The Chinese “notifications and instructions” the Chinese aircraft after the two-minute invasion on Monday. According to journalist NHK, no weapons, such as burst weapons, were used.
China claims the Senkaku territories in the East China Sea, which Beijing refers to as the Diaoyus, and Japan has recently flagged its existence there.
China has gotten more and more forceful in the area with its promises to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Chika Nakayama provided further reporting in Tokyo.