Japan reported that a Chinese military intelligence-gathering aircraft briefly entered its territorial airspace near the remote Danjo Islands in the East China Sea on Monday. This marks the first time Tokyo has officially accused the People’s Liberation Army Air Force of an airspace violation, adding a new layer of tension to the already delicate relations between China and Japan.
According to a map released by the Japanese Defense Ministry, the Chinese aircraft, identified as a Y-9 reconnaissance plane, was flying in a rectangular pattern off the eastern side of the Danjo Islands. The plane briefly veered west, entering the islands’ territorial airspace—12 nautical miles from the coast—for about two minutes.
In response, the Japanese Defense Ministry scrambled Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets, though no confrontation with the Chinese plane occurred.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry took swift diplomatic action, summoning Shi Yong, the charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, to issue a strong protest and to firmly request measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The Japanese military frequently scrambles fighter jets to intercept Chinese military planes that approach its airspace, doing so 479 times—more than once a day—in the past fiscal year ending in April, according to the Defense Ministry.
However, the recent alleged incursion into Japanese sovereign airspace marks an escalation in these tensions.
“China’s military activities near our country have been expanding and becoming increasingly active in recent years,” said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi during a press conference on Tuesday.
“The invasion of our airspace by Chinese military aircraft is a serious violation of our sovereignty and a threat to our safety. It is completely unacceptable,” Hayashi added.
CNN has reached out to Chinese authorities for a response to the Japanese claims.
The uninhabited Danjo Islands, recognized as a Japanese national monument and wildlife protection area, are located in the East China Sea, approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Nagasaki on Kyushu, Japan’s southern main island.
