Japan has called on China to immediately stop flying military jets dangerously close to Japanese reconnaissance aircraft, warning that repeated incidents risk triggering a mid-air collision.
In a statement on Thursday, Japan’s Ministry of Defence said a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber came within just 30 metres (98 feet) of a YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. The encounters took place on both Wednesday and Thursday over the East China Sea, outside Japanese airspace. No damage or injuries were reported.
The Ministry described the manoeuvres as “abnormal” and said they posed an unacceptable risk.
China has not yet commented on the latest incident. However, in previous similar cases, Beijing has accused Japan of flying too close to its own aircraft and engaging in surveillance of what it calls “ordinary military activity”. China has also demanded that Japan cease such operations.
Japan, meanwhile, has voiced increasing concern over China’s military build-up, particularly in areas near Japan’s south-western islands, where tensions between the two nations have been mounting.
Diplomatic Warning Issued
Japan’s Foreign Ministry released a statement late on Thursday confirming that Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi had delivered a strong protest to Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao. Funakoshi expressed “serious concern” and called on Beijing to halt any actions that could lead to “accidental collisions”.
Japan further urged China to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in future.
This is not the first time tensions have flared over such close encounters. Just last month, Japan reported that a Chinese combat aircraft flew extremely close to a Japanese P-3C surveillance plane over the Pacific Ocean, during a rare joint operation involving two Chinese aircraft carriers.
