Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi reported that a Chinese military aircraft briefly entered Japanese airspace, describing it as an “absolutely unacceptable” violation of Japan’s territorial rights and a safety threat, AP News reports.
The Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane entered Japan’s southwestern airspace near Danjo Island for about two minutes, prompting the Japanese Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets. This incident marks the first time Japan has detected a Chinese military aircraft in its airspace. Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned the acting Chinese ambassador to protest the violation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China had no intention of violating other countries’ airspace and that the situation was being investigated.
Hayashi highlighted the growing frequency and intensity of Chinese military activity around Japan and emphasized Japan’s commitment to monitoring and responding to such threats.
