Japan says Chinese fighter jets risked collision after close encounter over Pacific
In a statement on Wednesday, the Japanese defence ministry said a P-3C patrol plane monitoring China 's Shandong aircraft carrier over the weekend was followed by a pair of J-15 fighters. The jets, which took off from the carrier, tailed the military surveillance aircraft for 40 minutes and 80 minutes, respectively.
'The government has raised serious concerns with the Chinese side, including to the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, through the vice minister of foreign affairs, and has strongly urged them to prevent such incidents from recurring,' cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news briefing on Thursday.
Japan 'will continue to spare no effort to ensure vigilance and surveillance activities in the airspace and waters surrounding Japan in order to resolutely defend Japan's territorial waters, airspace and territorial rights,' he added.
Photos shared by Japan's defence ministry showed a J-15 fighter jet flying dangerously close and parallel to the surveillance aircraft. At one point, the J-15 crossed nearly 900 metres in front of the P-3C's flight path.
While declining to comment on any Chinese military intention behind the dangerous manoeuvres, a Japanese government spokesperson claimed that such 'unusual close approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially lead to accidental collisions'.
Japanese officials delayed the public disclosure of the recent close encounters with Chinese planes in order to interview the P-3C's crew and assess the flight data, The Japan Times reported.
The Japanese navy sighted two Chinese aircraft carriers conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time over the weekend, in a move signalling Beijing 's intention to expand its blue water capabilities.
Liaoning and Shandong were seen operating in separate areas of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese defence ministry said.
The Shandong strike group was seen carrying out what appeared to be takeoff and landing operations of its fighter jets and helicopters about 500km southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori. The Liaoning group was located 300km southwest of Minamitori Island on Saturday and slightly farther away on Sunday. It was also operating its air wings.
The carriers were found in the blue waters beyond Japan 's Second Island Chain.
Considered the second line of defence in the event of a military escalation by China, the chain comprises a strategic group of islands in the middle of the West Pacific, including a US military base in Guam, around 2,700km from Taiwan.
Confirming the presence of its carriers in the East Asian waters, Beijing on Tuesday said Liaoning and Shandong carriers were carrying out the training 'to test the forces' capabilities in far seas defence and joint operations'.
The exercises were a 'routine training' without Beijing targeting any specific country, Chinese navy spokesperson, senior captain Wang Xuemeng, said.
Since May, China has been increasing its presence in East Asian waters by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels to the region. At the same time, it has been conducting daily military drills in the Taiwan Strait, which critics have described as staged exercises aimed at escalating military pressure on the self-governed island.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is behind Japan's unprecedented population crisis – and can it be stopped?
Japan 's population is shrinking faster than ever, with nearly a million more deaths than births in 2024 – the steepest decline since records began in 1968. New figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications last week showed that the number of Japanese nationals fell by over 900,000 last year, driven by record-low births of just 686,061 and almost 1.59 million deaths. Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has called the trend a 'quiet emergency' and pledged measures like free childcare and flexible work hours, but demographic pressures are already straining pensions, healthcare, and the fabric of rural communities. Japan's population has been shrinking for 16 consecutive years, falling to 120.65 million in 2024 from its 2009 peak of 126.6 million, figures from the Internal Affairs Ministry show. Nearly one in three citizens in Japan is now aged 65 or older, while just six in 10 fall within the working-age bracket of 15 to 64. The World Bank ranks Japan as having the world's second-oldest population, surpassed only by Monaco. In many countries facing similar challenges, like South Korea and China, immigration has helped offset labour shortages, and Japan has also gradually increased foreign worker numbers for that reason. However, this has become politically contentious. A newly formed anti-immigration party, Sanseito, recently capitalised on this public unease, blaming foreign residents for the nation's economic woes. Its message resonated strongly enough in last month's parliamentary election to weaken the ruling coalition's majority. Foreign residents now account for nearly 3 per cent of the population, hitting a record 3.6 million as Japan cautiously opened up to some forms of immigration through initiatives like a digital nomad visa. Still, the country remains reluctant to rely heavily on foreign labour, and the long-standing low fertility rate – rooted in high living costs, stagnant wages, rigid work norms, and entrenched gender roles – means even bold policy changes could take decades to reverse the trend. Taro Kono, a Japanese parliamentarian, told CBS News earlier this year: 'There are less and less number of a young generation. And all the burdens are on the young generation. And they won't be able to sustain. So society is going to be breaking up. Economy is just going to stagnate.' Some experts believe that Japan's declining population is tied in part to the growing professional success of its women. Today, a higher percentage of Japanese women are in the workforce than their American counterparts. Japan's notoriously gruelling work culture, combined with a male-centred social structures, leaves little room to balance career and family life, observers have noted over the years. Japanese-American author Roland Kelts describes the situation as 'an implosion of marriage'. He told CBS News' 60 Minutes that the days of arranged marriages are behind us. 'The corporate guys would marry the office ladies,' Mr Kelts said. 'And this was all set up. It's gone now. And the office ladies make more money than the corporate guys. So now, you have this shift in economics that has not been reflected in social norms.' In 2023, fewer than 500,000 Japanese couples married, the lowest number since 1917, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. 'Childbearing outside of marriage is rare', and so 'this low marriage rate means that many Japanese men and women will never have children,' Noriko O Tsuya, a Japanese economist who specialises in fertility and family change in Japan and developed countries, wrote for the East-West Centre in 2017. As in many countries, women in Japan often face pressure to choose between a career and a family – but the nation's entrenched overtime work culture makes the prospect of pregnancy and child–rearing particularly daunting. 'When they marry, they have to give up so many things,' Mari Miura, a professor of political science at Sophia University in Tokyo, was quoted as saying by The New York Times. 'So many freedoms and so much independence'. 'It's so obvious for a lot of women who have jobs that it's very difficult to find a man who is available to be a caretaker in the family,' Kumiko Nemoto, a professor of sociology at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, was quoted as saying by the outlet. According to Mainichi, in Tochigi prefecture in Japan, a survey found that more than three-quarters of women feel they shoulder over 70 per cent of household chores. Last year, the fertility rate – the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime – fell to a record low of 1.2, far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In response, the government rolled out a raft of 'now or never' measures to stem the decline, from urging men to take paternity leave to local authorities introducing reforms aimed at improving work–life balance. Although some men express a desire to be more involved at home and the government has urged businesses to reform Japan's work culture, employees are still expected to devote the bulk of their waking hours to their jobs – leaving many husbands with little time to share household responsibilities. Earlier this year, a Japanese expert on demographic trends and ageing society suggested mandating childcare leave for fathers as one of the ways to boost the country's plummeting birth rate. Hiroshi Yoshida, a professor at Tohoku University's Research Center for Aged Economy and Society, told The Independent that childcare leave for fathers should be significantly increased and made more common in Japan, similar to the policies in Scandinavian countries. 'Male participation in childcare is very low in Japan, and it needs to be boosted,' he said. He also proposed a system where senior citizens could step in to fill labour gaps when the younger population takes childcare leave. He pointed out the example of the 'Papa quota' in Norway, where fathers are required to take at least one month of childcare leave after the birth of a child. Prof Yoshida advocated for a similar approach in Japan to improve gender equality and support work-life balance for families. City administrations have also launched initiatives to try and address the problem locally. Tokyo has created its own matrimonial dating app, which has attracted three to four times more applicants than was expected, as well as a four-day workweek for government employees. Governor Yuriko Koike said these measures were aimed at making it easier for people to build relationships, support working mothers, and ultimately boost the country's birth rate. 'We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,' she said at the time. 'Now is the time for Tokyo to take the initiative to protect and enhance the lives, livelihoods and economy of our people during these challenging times for the nation,' she added. Meanwhile, many rural communities in Japan are reportedly emptying as younger residents leave for cities and better opportunities. Government data from last year showed that nearly four million houses have been left vacant across the country in the past twenty years. Ichinono, a Japanese village with fewer than 60 mostly elderly residents, for instance, now uses handmade mannequins to represent its once-thriving community. Only one baby has been born there in 20 years – two-year-old Kuranosuke, whose parents moved from Osaka seeking a stronger sense of community. 'We were afraid they (their children) would become unmarriageable if they remained stuck in a remote place like this. Out they went, and they never came back, getting jobs elsewhere. We're now paying the price,' 88-year-old widow Hisayo Yamazaki told AFP. 'We're probably outnumbered by puppets,' she added.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Bravo star calls to ban Trump voters from Mexican restaurants
By A former Bravo star has been slammed after claiming 'fat [expletive]' Trump voters should be 'banned' from Mexican, Chinese and Indian restaurants. Jennifer Welch, who formerly starred on short-lived reality show, Sweet Home, Oklahoma, took aim at white MAGA voters who support deporting illegal migrants but still have 'the audacity to walk into a Mexican restaurant.' Appearing on her I've Had It podcast, Welch ranted: 'I've had it with white people that triple Trumped. that have the nerve and the audacity to walk into a Mexican restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant, go to a gay hairdresser. I don't think you should be able to enjoy anything but Cracker Barrel.' Laying into 'triple Trumpers' - people who voted for Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections - she said: 'If you want to triple Trump, if you want to brow beat DEI, if you want to brow beat gay people, you want to brow beat black people as you have been doing for hundreds of years… White people that triple Trumped should be boycotted, banned from enjoying the best thing that America has to offer, which is multiculturalism.' 'Get your fat [expletive] out of the Mexican restaurant. Get your fat [expletive] over at a Cracker Barrel because nobody wants to see your [expletive] smug [expletive], teeny weeny pink arm, big gut around. Nobody wants to see that [expletive], no one.' Fans quickly slammed the 'pompous and arrogant' interior designer - with one writing: 'It's always the most intolerant and hateful pretending to love everyone.' Others wrote: 'Yes listen to this elite rich white woman. What a pompous, arrogant thing to say. Uber Karen. I voted for Trump and I'm having a burrito with chorizo and spinach dip for lunch today. I know a lot of black, Hispanic and Indian people who voted Trump three times as well.' Back in April Welch had a tense debate with former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (pictured) when he joined I've Had It to discuss the problems within the Democratic Party. Emanuel previously served as Chicago's mayor from 2011 to 2019, was an adviser to President Bill Clinton, served as President Barack Obama 's chief of staff and was an ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden. The two Democrats struggled to find a consensus on transgender rights and their conversation quickly morphed into a tense debate, hinting at a divide that may cause trouble in 2028. Welch, a more progressive member of the left, laid into Emanuel during their conversation when he accused Kamala Harris of not prioritizing economic issues, noting that Democrats weren't 'really good about the family room issues.' 'The only room we were doing really well was the bathroom, and that's the smallest room in the house,' he continued, referencing the ongoing debate about allowing transgender individuals to use the bathroom they prefer. The comment set Welch on a tirade, and she quickly responded that his claim was, 'total bull[expletive].' Emanuel argued that transgender issues were 'tangential,' and not a core value on the left, to which Welch vehemently disagreed. 'I'm so sick of Democrats like you selling out and saying this. You know who talks about trans people more than anybody? MAGA. MAGA is the most genital-obsessed political party I have ever seen,' she said. Welch argued that Harris did have a comprehensive economic plan and even referenced the vice president's proposal to provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. She went on to slam Donald Trump for 'droning on about Hannibal Lecter' and accused Democrats of losing because they're 'playing the game with the rulebook' while Republicans have 'ripped up the rulebook.' Emanuel then threw up his hands and pushed back, saying as mayor, he did deal with the 'bathroom issue' but that transgender rights were not a cornerstone of the Democratic party. 'They're the gender-obsessed weirdos, [Republicans], not us [Democrats]. We're the ones who fight for Social Security. We fight for Medicare, and yeah, we're not gonna bully trans people,' Welch argued.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Business Matters Trump extends China tariff deadline
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending tariffs on China for another 90 days. Chip giants Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of Chinese revenues as part of an "unprecedented" deal to secure export licences to China. And remember that distinctive sound of dialling in via the internet in the early days of connecting? Well. It's days are numbered….Yahoo has announced that it will discontinue AOL Dial-up Internet on September 30th. Throughout the programme, Rahul Tandon will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Jennifer Pak who is China Correspondent for American Public Media, based in Shanghai; and Allie Garfinkle, Senior finance reporter at Fortune who's in the US.
