Japan Strongly Condemns Airspace Violation by Chinese Military Aircraft; Plane Flew Off Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:45 JST, August 27, 2024

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday strongly condemned the violation of Japanese airspace by a Chinese military aircraft.

Speaking at a press conference, Hayashi said that the airspace violation “not only infringes our country’s sovereignty seriously but also threatens our security and is completely unacceptable.” Regarding China’s military activities, Hayashi said that “We will closely monitor the situation and take all possible measures to respond to airspace violations.”

He said the government would refrain from giving definite answer regarding the intent and purpose of the violation. Japan is expected to cooperate with the United States and other like-minded countries to enhance its deterrence and response capabilities to counter China.

“Japan and the United States are communicating with each other in various ways on a regular basis,” Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will firmly observe China’s military developments while working closely with the United Sates.”

According to the ministry, the Chinese Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft violated Japan’s airspace off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture for about two minutes on Monday.