China provoke Japan. Tokyo will not comment on the “intention of the army”

The Japanese government expressed the diplomatic channels “serious concern” at the PRC authorities in connection with the fact that the Chinese military aircraft performed dangerous maneuvers near the Japanese patrol machine over international waters in the Pacific last weekend, said the spokesman for Yoshimas Hayashi on Thursday.

The day before, the Japanese Ministry of Defense reported that on Saturday the Chinese fighter J-15, operating from the aircraft carrier Shandong, approached the plane of Japanese sea naval self-defense forces P-3C at a distance of only 45 m. A day later, two J-15 fighters not only followed the Japanese plane, but one of them flew before him at a distance of about 900 m.

“We refrain from commenting on China's intentions, but such maneuvers of a Chinese military aircraft could cause collision,” said Hayashi.

Tokyo called Beijing to prevent similar situations in the future. The protest was transferred to diplomatic and military channels, including Chinese ambassador in Japan Wu Jianghao.

A spokesman for the Japanese government assured that Tokyo will make “every effort” to defend its territory, waters and airspace.

At the beginning of the week, the Japanese authorities informed about the unprecedented activity of the Chinese Navy, when for the first time in history last weekend, simultaneous operations of two Chinese aircraft carriers were observed – Shandong and Liaoning – in the Pacific Ocean. At that time, however, the Japanese side did not inform about the incidents in the air.

China argues that the actions of their navy are “fully in accordance with international law and practice” and the government conducts a “defense” policy. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lin Jian expressed the hope that Japan would look at these actions “objectively and rationally”.

The Japanese sender of the NHK reminds that similar incidents occurred in May and June 2024 on the waters of the East Chinese Sea. Last year, violations of Japanese airspace were also recorded by both China and Russia. In August 2024, the Chinese reconnaissance plane Y-9 burst into the airspace in the Nagasaki prefecture area. In September, the Russian military machine violated it three times near the island of Hokkaido.

Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

KRP/ AP/