Japan, Tokyo: On Monday, Japan dispatched fighter jets to intercept a Chinese military aircraft that briefly entered its airspace, marking the first such intrusion. The Chinese Y-9 intelligence-gathering plane entered Japanese airspace for approximately two minutes at 11:29 local time near the Danjo Islands, which lie off the southernmost island of Kyushu, according to the Japanese Defence Ministry.

In response, Japan summoned China’s acting ambassador to express its displeasure and urge measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, the Japanese Foreign Ministry reported.

Flight path data released by the Defence Ministry indicated that the aircraft circled the vicinity of the Danjo Islands before entering Japanese airspace and then returned to China. This is the first verified instance of a Chinese military aircraft entering Japanese airspace, according to an unnamed Defence Ministry official.

Previously, there had been two instances involving Chinese government civilian aircraft: a propeller plane in 2012 and a drone in 2017, the official added.

China has yet to comment on the latest incident, which follows reports from Japanese media that a Japanese destroyer had entered Chinese territorial waters last month despite warnings from Chinese vessels.

Military tensions between Japan and China often revolve around disputed islands in the East China Sea, which are under Japanese control but also claimed by China. China routinely deploys coast guard vessels to patrol the area.