The territorial violation by China is the latest in a series of events amplifying tensions between Beijing and Japan.
A Chinese military surveillance plane breached Japanese airspace off the country’s southwestern coast on Monday, marking what Japan’s defense ministry described as the first known incursion by China’s military into its territorial airspace.
According to a ministry official, a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft briefly entered Japanese territory near Nagasaki Prefecture around 11:30 a.m. on Monday. In response, Japan’s Self-Defense Force put fighter jets on high alert and issued a warning to the Chinese aircraft.
While Chinese planes frequently appear in international airspace around Japan, this incident represents the first confirmed entry of a military aircraft into Japan’s territorial airspace.
Meh, Turkey shot down a Russian jet and nothing happened a handful of years back. Can you really be that mad when a fighter breaching protected airspace is shot down?
Yes, you can.
Russia and Turkey have very different political dynamics than China and Japan.
Also, these types of airspace incursions, followed by intercepts, are pretty standard amongst major powers.
It doesn’t mean they’re benign, but that shooting down Chinese planes intentionally as a response, is something you do if you’re willing and ready for the escalation path to result in open conflict, not simply an escalation.
Whereas these airspace incursions are just… something you do?
They have been a staple of great power competition since the Cold War, as a means of political signaling, military posturing, and gathering of intelligence.