For the first time, Japan reported that a Chinese military aircraft had breached its airspace on monday.
According to local media, a Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane that entered Japan’s airspace near the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture at 11:29 a.m. For two minutes, the aircraft remained in Japanese airspace prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets on an emergency basis. Reports Kyodo News.
Further, aircraft was observed circling the waters southeast of the islands before and after the incursion, eventually heading back towards China around 1:15 p.m. As per Japanese defense officials, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) did not employ weapons or signal flares in response.
Later, Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned China’s acting ambassador later on Monday to issue a “strong protest” and called for measures to prevent future incidents, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
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According to Kyodo News Agency, citing a Japanese defence source, China might be attempting to provoke a reaction from Japan, while another source indicated that the aircraft may have accidentally entered Japanese airspace while off course.
Earlier, the NHK public broadcaster noted that there had been previous incursions by non-military Chinese aircraft, including a marine surveillance plane and a small drone, near the disputed Senkaku Islands in 2012 and 2017.
Meanwhile, this development could escalate tensions between Japan and China, especially following China’s repeated maritime provocations in the region.
(With Inputs From ANI)
