Japan scrambles fighter jets after drone flies near disputed islands

Japan scrambled fighter jets yesterday after an unidentified drone flew near Japanese-controlled islands at the centre of a dispute with China, Japan's Defence Ministry said.

It was the first reported incident of its kind. The Japan Air Self-Defence Force sent an unspecified number of jets to the area, a ministry spokesman official said. The drones did not enter Japanese airspace, he said.

A second defence ministry official said the nationality of the drone was not clear, but added that it came from the northwest and was last seen flying back in that direction.

China does have drones but when asked about the incident, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "I am not aware of the situation."

On Sunday, Japan scrambled fighter jets against two Chinese bombers that flew from the East China Sea into the Pacific, through a gap between islands in the Okinawa chain, Tokyo said.

A spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defence said the bombers were conducting routine training over the Western Pacific. "It is a routine arrangement that is included in [our] … annual plan. It does not target any country or object. It is in line with relevant international laws and norms," the spokesman said in a statement.