A Chinese Su-37 fighter in flight.
Tokyo: Japan protested to
Beijing on Wednesday after Chinese fighter jets flew within 30 metres of Japanese
military planes in airspace claimed by both nations. Similar flybys in the same
area took place several weeks ago.
In two separate episodes Wednesday, Chinese Su-27 fighters
flew dangerously close to two Japanese propeller-driven reconnaissance airplanes
in skies over the East China Sea, Japan's defence ministry said.
The flybys are the latest escalation in an increasingly
tense test of wills between China and Japan for dominance of the East China
Sea, which includes a group of uninhabited islets that both nations claim.
Japan took control of the island group when it was a rising imperial power in
the late 19th century, but now a newly resurgent China wants to regain what it
sees as stolen territory.
The ministry said the Japanese planes had returned safely
to base, though the faster Chinese jets came close enough that the crew of one
Japanese craft photographed what appeared to be white missiles on the underside
of the jets.
A similar encounter took place last month, when Chinese
fighter planes flew as close as 30 metres to Japanese reconnaissance planes in
the same area.
Japan's defence ministry said the incidents had taken place
in airspace where both nations claim overlapping "air defence
identification zones" - areas bordering sovereign airspace where foreign
aircraft were required to identify themselves and to provide flight plans.
Japan has ignored the Chinese air zone since Beijing declared it late last
year.
There was no immediate comment by Chinese officials on
Wednesday.
Analysts have said the flybys could be a sign that China
has begun trying to enforce its air zone. However, they warn that the
high-speed flybys carry the risk of an accident or miscalculation that could
spiral out of control, causing a larger confrontation.
They point to a 2001 accident in which a US reconnaissance
plane collided with a Chinese jet over the South China Sea, briefly provoking a
tense standoff that was eventually defused by negotiations. With the leaders of
China and Japan now barely on speaking terms, analysts said such an incident
between the two nations could potentially escalate into a full-blown military
clash that may even involve the United States, which is bound by treaty to
defend Japan.
Speaking to reporters, the Japanese defence minister,
Itsunori Onodera, called the flybys "an extremely dangerous action by
fighter planes against aircraft engaged in normal reconnaissance operations
over international waters."
"We have lodged a stern protest to the Chinese side,
via diplomatic channels," he said.
New York Times
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