The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that a helicopter on a Chinese Coast Guard ship violated Japan’s airspace near the disputed Senkaku Islands (referred to as Diaoyu Islands and their surrounding islands by mainland China) on Saturday, May 3. In response, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled two F-15 fighter jets and lodged a protest with China. This marks the fourth intrusion by China into Japanese airspace.
Reported by Kyodo News, the Japan Coast Guard announced that around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, four Chinese Coast Guard ships entered Japan’s territorial waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands. A helicopter took off from one of the ships and entered the airspace near the islands.
The Japan Coast Guard vessel observed the helicopter flying over Japanese waters for approximately 15 minutes, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to dispatch two fighter jets in response.
The uninhabited Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan, but China claims sovereignty over the islands, referring to them as the Diaoyu Islands.
All four Chinese Coast Guard ships are equipped with cannons. The Japanese patrol vessel issued warnings demanding the ships to leave Japanese waters. Japan has confirmed that Chinese vessels have been sailing near the Senkaku Islands for 166 consecutive days, including in the contiguous zone outside Japanese territorial waters.
The Japan Coast Guard reported that around 1 p.m. on Saturday, the four Chinese Coast Guard ships left Japanese waters and entered the contiguous zone. This incident marks the latest intrusion by Chinese government vessels since April 7 and the 11th incident this year.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Japan has lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels and urged China to take action to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
In recent years, Japan’s airspace has been violated by Chinese aircraft multiple times. In August 2024, a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft intruded into Japanese airspace, leading Japan to scramble at least four fighter jets for interception and summon officials from the Chinese Embassy in Japan to protest.
China also violated Japanese airspace in 2012 and 2017 with an incursion by a fixed-wing aircraft and a small unmanned aerial vehicle, respectively.