Japan reports: Chinese jet flew 45 meters next to surveillance aircraft

Japan reports: Chinese jet flew 45 meters next to surveillance aircraft

Seoul, South Korea - A Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to a Japanese naval reconnaissance aircraft by about 150 feet (about 45 meters) last weekend, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday. The US ambassador in Tokyo described this behavior as “dangerous” and “negligent”.

Encounter over international waters

The close encounter occurred Saturday morning between Japan's P-3C Orion, a four-engine turboprop surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft, and a J-15 fighter jet that took off from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong. This happened over the international waters of the Pacific, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry statement.

Details of the encounter

The encounter lasted about 40 minutes while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) aircraft was on a surveillance mission. According to the statement, the Chinese plane came “horizontally” within 45 meters of the Japanese plane.

More dangerous approaches

Another dangerous encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a Japanese aircraft occurred on Sunday. The Chinese military aircraft passed about 900 meters (2,950 feet) directly in front of the flight path of a P-3C, the ministry reported.

Criticism from the USA

The US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, was blunt in his criticism. "The recent dangerous maneuvers by a Chinese fighter jet that endangered the lives of Japanese crew members," Glass said in a post on X, mockingly calling the incident "another example of Beijing's 'good neighborliness.'

China's aggressive strategies

Glass added: "Whether it's harassing Filipino ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression."

In recent years, China has been blamed for all of these actions in the South China Sea and other regions of the Indo-Pacific. At a defense forum in Singapore last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China has a pattern of harassing and attempting to intimidate its neighbors.

Chinese Navy military exercises

The Sino-Japanese encounters occurred in international waters of the Pacific while Beijing sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region to conduct exercises. The Chinese carriers and their accompanying forces practiced long-range defense and joint operations, a military statement said.

"This is a routine arrangement as part of the annual training plan aimed at improving the Chinese People's Liberation Army's ability to carry out its missions. The exercises are in accordance with applicable international laws and practices and are not directed against any specific countries or units," said Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army.