Tokyo Issues Protest Against Beijing Over Airspace Violation
Tokyo has lodged a protest against Beijing following an incident where Chinese helicopters reportedly “violated” Japanese airspace, alongside the entry of four Chinese ships into the territorial waters surrounding a disputed island.
The islands in the East China Sea, referred to as Ziayu in China and Senkaku in Japan, are contested by Beijing but are administered by Tokyo, often leading to tensions between the two nations.
In a statement released late Saturday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry indicated that the deputy minister formally protested the incursion of four Chinese Coast Guard vessels into Japanese territory around the Senkaku Islands. The deputy minister emphasized that the incursion by helicopters from one of the vessels should not recur.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, a Chinese helicopter flew through Japanese airspace near the Senkaku Islands for approximately 15 minutes on Saturday. In response, the Self-Defense Forces scrambled fighter jets.
Local media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that this marked the first instance of a Chinese government helicopter entering Japanese airspace related to the conflict islands.
On the same day, the Chinese Coast Guard claimed it had used helicopters to “drive out” Japanese aircraft from around the dispute areas. A spokesperson for the Chinese Coast Guard noted that a Japanese civil aircraft had “illegally entered” airspace over the island but departed five minutes later.
While Beijing often states that it has expelled Japanese vessels and aircraft from the area, Japanese officials communicated to AFP that any such announcements from Chinese authorities might only occur after the incidents happen.
An unnamed Japanese official suggested that Beijing’s actions could be a response to a small Japanese aircraft flying near the island.
Encounters between Chinese and Japanese patrol ships in the East China Sea frequently escalate around these disputed islands. Ongoing tensions over the region have led Japan to strengthen its relationships with the Philippines and the United States.
