On Monday, August 26, 2024, the Japanese Defence Ministry confirmed that a Chinese military Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft breached Japanese airspace over territorial waters near the Oshima Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. The incursion occurred between 11:29 and 11:31 a.m. local time, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.
In response to the violation, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces promptly scrambled fighter jets from the Western Air Defense Force and took additional measures, including issuing notifications and warnings. The incident prompted a stern reaction from Tokyo, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi condemning the violation as “utterly unacceptable.”
“The incursion of a Chinese military aircraft into Japan’s airspace is a grave violation of our sovereignty and poses a threat to our national security,” Hayashi stated during a press conference. “This is an action that we cannot tolerate.”
Japan has lodged a formal and “extremely serious protest” with Beijing, demanding assurances that such violations will not occur in the future. Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Okano Masataka summoned Shi Ying, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver the protest. Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko emphasized Japan’s resolve to protect its territory, stating that the country “will continue to respond calmly and resolutely, while making the necessary claims.”
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This incident marks the first confirmed intrusion by a Chinese military aircraft into Japanese airspace, although there have been previous violations by non-military Chinese aircraft near the disputed Senkaku Islands. The Japanese government has expressed concern over the growing military activities of China in the region, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi noting that these activities have become increasingly aggressive in recent years. He assured that Japan would maintain vigilant surveillance to prevent further airspace violations.
Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara echoed this stance, reaffirming Japan’s determination to defend its land, sea, and airspace. “Japan is resolute in its commitment to protect our sovereignty and to assert our rights in the face of any challenge,” Kihara stated, as reported by Kyodo News.
The airspace violation comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and China, following Japan’s controversial release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in August 2023. In response to this move, China imposed a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, further straining bilateral relations.
