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China Military Planes Lead to Tripling of Japan Jet Scrambles
While growing tensions on the high seas have been the main focus in recent territorial tensions between China and Japan, a report released by the Defense Ministry shows prickliness is escalating in the skies as well.
Japans Air Self-Defense Force has scrambled 83 times in the first half of the year to check out military aircraft from China buzzing Japans air space, according to the Defense Ministrys Joint Staff Council on Thursday, more than triple the amount compared to the same six-month period in 2010.
Its another reminder of how fraught Japan-China relations have become over a disputed archipelago in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Japanese intercepts of Chinese planes occurred a total 96 times in the whole of last year, and just once in the first half of 2008.
While the Joint Staff Council said none of the Chinese aircraft entered Japanese air space, a Chinese Y-8 skirted the border on Sept. 8. The aircraft came within 150 kilometers of airspace north of the disputed islands. Japanese pilots were scrambled again two weeks later when another Chinese plane headed for the same slice of the sky, but did not venture as close as the previous incident.
China Military Planes Lead to Tripling of Japan Jet Scrambles - China Real Time Report - WSJ
While growing tensions on the high seas have been the main focus in recent territorial tensions between China and Japan, a report released by the Defense Ministry shows prickliness is escalating in the skies as well.
Japans Air Self-Defense Force has scrambled 83 times in the first half of the year to check out military aircraft from China buzzing Japans air space, according to the Defense Ministrys Joint Staff Council on Thursday, more than triple the amount compared to the same six-month period in 2010.
Its another reminder of how fraught Japan-China relations have become over a disputed archipelago in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Japanese intercepts of Chinese planes occurred a total 96 times in the whole of last year, and just once in the first half of 2008.
While the Joint Staff Council said none of the Chinese aircraft entered Japanese air space, a Chinese Y-8 skirted the border on Sept. 8. The aircraft came within 150 kilometers of airspace north of the disputed islands. Japanese pilots were scrambled again two weeks later when another Chinese plane headed for the same slice of the sky, but did not venture as close as the previous incident.
China Military Planes Lead to Tripling of Japan Jet Scrambles - China Real Time Report - WSJ
