Tokyo, September 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Japan scrambled fighter jets for five consecutive days after detecting a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft flying over the East China Sea, according to local media reports.
Japan’s Defence Ministry Joint Staff said it detected a Chinese Y-9 aircraft from Thursday through Monday in waters off the Danjo Islands, west of Kyushu, and near Okinawa’s main island.
The ministry said the aircraft had approached from the direction of mainland China but did not enter Japanese airspace, Kyodo News Agency reported.
The development comes amid strained diplomatic ties between Tokyo and Beijing. Relations deteriorated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Parliament in November 2025 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a response from Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (JSDF).
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification with the mainland.
Japan has also faced criticism from China and Russia over what they describe as its “remilitarisation”. In May, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki rejected the criticism as “entirely unfounded”.
Ozaki said Japan wanted China and Russia to change their behaviour over issues including Beijing’s military activities and Russia’s military action against Ukraine. He described China’s military activities as a “cause for serious concern for the international community”.
He also said Japan has maintained its commitment to the rule of law, freedom and democracy since the end of World War II and has contributed to prosperity in Asia and globally. He added that Tokyo’s “exclusively defence-oriented” policy remained unchanged.
His remarks came after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised what they described as Japan’s accelerated course towards remilitarisation, calling it a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
In a joint statement following their meeting, Xi and Putin also expressed concern over what they called “extreme provocations” by Japan’s right-wing forces, including efforts to alter the country’s three non-nuclear principles prohibiting Japan from possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons.
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