Japan has expressed deep dissatisfaction with a Chinese military reconnaissance aircraft that violated its airspace, labeling the incident as “completely unacceptable.” The incursion occurred the day prior, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets and summon a Chinese official from the embassy in Tokyo in protest.
During a press conference, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, stated that the incursion, being the first of its kind involving a military aircraft, represents a serious violation of Japan’s sovereignty and poses a threat to the country’s security. He noted that a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane was detected circling over the Danjo Islands, located off the southwestern coast of Kyushu, for two minutes Monday morning.
In response, Japan quickly dispatched fighter jets to warn the Chinese aircraft and ordered it to leave its airspace. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently summoned the acting Chinese ambassador, Shi Yong, to formally protest the airspace violation and demand that China take measures to prevent such incidents in the future. There has yet to be any comment from the Chinese embassy regarding the incident.
Hayashi also stated that Tokyo continues to monitor Chinese military activity near Japan and is fully prepared for any potential future airspace violations. According to Japan’s military, jets were dispatched nearly 669 times between April 2023 and March 2024, with about 70 percent of those deployments directed at Chinese military aircraft. However, this figure does not specifically include airspace incursions.
Japanese defense officials are increasingly concerned about the military cooperation between Chinese and Russian air forces, as well as China’s more aggressive actions in Japanese waters and airspace. The relationship between Japan and China is further complicated by a longstanding dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which China refers to as the Diaoyu Islands. This uninhabited group of islands is located approximately 190 nautical miles (352 kilometers) southwest of Okinawa and has been controlled by Japan since 1895.
China is also involved in sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, where it has been more insistent on asserting its extensive claims.