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| Y-8 AWAC Aircraft (Image - Wiki Commons) |
By J. Michael Cole
The Japanese government on July 25 said it was alarmed by increased Chinese activity near its territory and said it had scrambled fighter aircraft the previous day after a Chinese surveillance aircraft flew over waters near Okinawa and disputed islets in the East China Sea.
Although it stayed in international waters, the Japanese defense ministry said the presence of the Y-8 early-warning aircraft in the Miyako Strait set a precedent and was a sign of “China’s escalating maritime advance.” People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships have entered the Strait before, but this was the first time that a Chinese aircraft flew over the area and crossed beyond the so-called first island chain.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is about to embark on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, called the incident unprecedented.
And while Japanese F-15 aircraft were shadowing the Y-8, Tokyo announced it had spotted four Chinese Coast Guard vessels near the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, which are claimed by Japan, China, and Taiwan and have been the object of rising tensions between the two Asian giants.
Read the full story at The Diplomat