Japan scrambles jets as Chinese plane breaches its airspace

Tokyo/Beijing, August 26

Japan’s defence ministry said it had scrambled jets against a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft that had briefly breached its airspace on Monday morning.

The aircraft was identified as a Y-9 reconnaissance plane that flew over the Danjo Islands to the west of the southern island of Kyushu between around 11:29 am and 11:31 am.

The ministry said it was the first time a Chinese military aircraft had breached Japan’s airspace, and that the government had lodged a strong protest against Beijing through diplomatic channels.

Separately, the Japanese foreign ministry said Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano had summoned a senior official at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo to lodge a protest against the incursion and to strongly demand the prevention of such breaches.

Chinese foreign ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.