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Japanese fighters intercepted a record number of Chinese spy planes near the country’s airspace in the last nine months of 2018
- The uptick in flights represents a demonstration of Beijing’s intent to expand its military presence in the region, analysts say
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Japanese fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Chinese reconnaissance aircraft operating above the waters between the East Asian archipelago and South Korea a record number of six times in the last nine months of 2018, according to the country’s defence ministry. In previous years, no more than two Chinese spy planes had been spotted in the area.
Between the start of April and the end of December, 758 foreign aircraft that flew close to Japanese airspace were intercepted, an increase from 736 incidents in the same period a year before and the second-highest total on record.
Of these, 476 – or 63 per cent – were against Chinese military aircraft, up by 81 on the previous year. A further 270 missions were flown to monitor the movements of Russian aircraft, primarily in airspace off the northern island of Hokkaido – 58 fewer incidents than in the same nine-month period in 2017.
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Japan’s military has become accustomed to Chinese aircraft around the Okinawa islands – including the disputed Diaoyu archipelago, which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands – and maintains a sizeable naval and aerial presence in the area.
But the recent uptick in flights through the strait separating Japan and South Korea represent a demonstration of Beijing’s intent to expand its military presence in the region, according to Jun Okumura, a political analyst at the Meiji Institute for Global Affairs.
“The Chinese fleet and naval capabilities have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and we are increasingly seeing them coordinating air and surface elements,” he said.
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