Tokyo [Japan], June 12: Chinese fighter jets made unusually close approaches to Japanese military patrol planes over the weekend, as Beijing deployed two aircraft carriers in the Pacific for the first time.
Reuters on June 12 quoted the Japanese Ministry of Defense as saying that a Chinese J-15 fighter jet taking off from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong followed a Japanese P-3C patrol plane for about 4 minutes on June 7.
The next day (June 8), a J-15 also chased a P-3C for 80 minutes. At one point, the Chinese fighter passed within 900 meters of the Japanese plane, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
On both days, there were times when J-15 fighters flew close to Japanese aircraft, only 45 meters away.
The P-3C patrol aircraft belongs to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and is based on the island of Okinawa. At the time of the Chinese J-15 fighter jet's approach, the Japanese aircraft was conducting air patrols over international waters, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.
"Such unusual close approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to accidental collisions, and we express our deep concern and strongly request measures to prevent recurrence," the Japanese Ministry of Defense stressed, along with a photo of a J-15 fighter jet near the country's aircraft on June 8.
On June 10, the Japanese Ministry of Defense also issued a notice about the activities of two Chinese aircraft carrier battle groups, Liaoning and Shandong.
Accordingly, China's Shandong aircraft carrier and four other warships, including a missile destroyer, entered waters near Japan, in the area around Okinotori Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Here, the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group conducted takeoff and landing practice.
Last week, China's Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group also entered Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and then headed deep into the Pacific Ocean for exercises.
Responding to Tokyo's announcement, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on June 10 affirmed that the activities of its warships "are completely in line with international standards."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper