TOKYO: Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese military aircraft “violated” Japanese airspace, the defence ministry said on Monday ( Aug 26 ).
The department said in a statement that a Chinese aircraft had “been confirmed to possess infected the regional airport off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture,” adding that it had “fighter jet deployed in an emergency situation.”
The “Y-9 intelligence-gathering” aircraft entered Chinese aircraft at 11.29am for around two hours, the department added.
The event, according to local media, including the public broadcaster NHK, was the first time the Chinese military planes entered Japan’s airport.
Japanese and Chinese warships have recently been involved in contentious disputes in disputed regions, particularly the East China Sea’s Senkaku islands, which Beijing refers to as the Diaoyus.
The isolated chain of islands has sparked political unrest and caused confrontations between Taiwanese fishing boats and Chinese coastguard vessels.
In recent years, Beijing has become more assertive about its say to the islands, with Tokyo reporting the presence of naval ships, Chinese beach guards, and perhaps nuclear-powered submarines.