Japan flies jets after China drone takes to skies

Tokyo, May 19: Japan said on Friday it scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese vessel sailing in disputed waters launched a drone, the latest bout of tension in a longstanding territorial row.

The two countries are at odds over a group of small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea administered as the Senkakus by Japan but claimed as the Diaoyus by China.

Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s top government spokesman, told a regular briefing that the incident took place on Thursday and that Japan lodged a “strong protest”, accusing China of “unilaterally escalating” tensions.

Japan dispatched four planes, including two F-15 fighters and an airborne warning and control system plane to waters surrounding the islets, Japan’s defence ministry said.

Coast guard ships from the two nations routinely patrol the area, known for rich fishing grounds and possible energy reserves, to back up their claims.

The countries have also occasionally engaged in potentially dangerous encounters in the air and at sea over the dispute but have avoided actual conflict.

The latest incident came as the Japan Coast Guard said four Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters on Thursday.

“This is the first time we see what appears to be a drone flown by Chinese ships that are sailing within territorial waters,” Mr Suga said.