Japan claims first ever airspace violation by Chinese military plane

Japan scrambled jets and raised a diplomatic protest with Beijing after a Chinese intelligence-gathering military plane violated its airspace for the first time.

On Monday, a Chinese military Y-9 aircraft was intercepted by the Japanese defence ministry off the coast of the Danjo Islands in the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki.

The incursion lasted two minutes from 11.29am to 11.31am as the jet circled above the waters southeast of the islands multiple times, the Japanese defence ministry said. The jet eventually headed towards China at around 1.15pm.

The Joint Staff said Japan scrambled fighter jets that warned the Chinese plane to exit the airspace. Chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said the airspace breach was “not only a serious violation of Japan’s sovereignty but it also threatens our security”.

He called the breach “utterly unacceptable” and summoned a Chinese embassy official in Tokyo to protest the violation.

Mr Hayashi said that the government continues to monitor increasing Chinese military activity near Japan and will be fully prepared for any airspace violation.

However, he declined to comment on the details of the diplomatic talks between Tokyo and Beijing.

The Japanese defence ministry released a photograph of the Y-9 plane and also an image of the flight path taken by the reconnaissance plane.

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) sent at least four fighter jets, consisting of F-2 and F-15 squadrons from the Western Air Defence Force, to send warnings to the Chinese plane in an unusually strong response, according to reports.

This was the first airspace violation by a Chinese military aircraft since the Japanese forces began taking measures against airspace breaches in 1958.

Tensions flared between the two countries after China was accused of repeated maritime provocations as it vied for influence against the US and its allies.

Last week, Japan intercepted a Chinese state-of-the-art amphibious assault ship in the western Pacific for the first time in over a year. The Type 075 vessel , along with a guided missile destroyer, was seen floating some 120km northeast of Japan’s Miyako Islands.

Tokyo has also confirmed two similar incidents involving a Chinese marine surveillance plane and a drone that had taken off from a China Coast Guard vessel in the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which is claimed by China as the Diaoyus.

Yee-Kuang Heng, a professor at the University of Tokyo, told AFP that said the Y-9 incursion was likely an attempt by China to probe “Japan’s air defence network, collecting electronic intel such as Japan’s radar signals and coverage”.

Japan has previously reported its airspace violation by non-military planes near the Senkaku Islands in 2012 and 2017. It claimed that a Y-12 propeller-powered plane and a small drone were involved in the two incidents.

The Y-9 is a medium-sized military transport aircraft produced by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The aircraft that reportedly violated Japanese airspace is thought to be a variant known as the Y-9JB, which is outfitted with radio interception and electronic warfare capabilities.

China has yet to comment on the allegations.