logo
China fighter jet has near miss with SDF patrol plane: Japan gov't

China fighter jet has near miss with SDF patrol plane: Japan gov't

Kyodo Newsa day ago

KYODO NEWS - 15 minutes ago - 23:59 | Japan, World, All
A Chinese military aircraft had a near miss with a Japan Self-Defense Forces patrol plane over the high seas in the Pacific, flying just 45 meters away after taking off from a moving aircraft carrier, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
The warplane from the aircraft carrier Shandong also made other dangerous maneuvers, such as flying across the front of the SDF aircraft, on Saturday and Sunday, the ministry said, adding that the government lodged a protest with China and demanded an end to such flights.
Related coverage:
Japan sees 1st simultaneous operations by China carriers in Pacific
Chinese carrier sails near Japan's easternmost island for 1st time

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japan, China trade barbs over fighter jet maneuvers
Japan, China trade barbs over fighter jet maneuvers

Japan Today

timean hour ago

  • Japan Today

Japan, China trade barbs over fighter jet maneuvers

China and Japan traded barbs after a Chinese J-15 fighter jet followed a Japanese patrol plane at the weekend. Beijing condemned on Thursday what it called "dangerous behavior" by a Japanese military plane over the Pacific after Tokyo said Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to its aircraft at the weekend. The Japanese government had complained to China over the incident, in which no Japanese military personnel were reported injured. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet from the Shandong aircraft carrier followed a Japanese P-3C patrol plane for 40 minutes on Saturday, according to the Japanese defense ministry. Two J-15 jets then did the same for 80 minutes on Sunday. "During these long periods, the jets flew unusually close to the P-3C, and they flew within 45 meters" of the patrol plane on both days, an official from the Japanese ministry told AFP. Also on Sunday, Chinese jets cut across airspace around 900 meters ahead of a P-3C Japanese patrol plane at the same altitude -- a distance a P-3C can reach within a few seconds at cruising speed, Tokyo said. "We do not believe that this approach was made by mistake," the Japanese military's chief of staff Yoshihide Yoshida told reporters on Thursday. "Given it happened for 40 minutes and 80 minutes, for two days in a row, our understanding is that it was done on purpose," he said. Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian hit back at the Japanese description of the events. "The root cause of the risk to maritime and air security was the close reconnaissance of China's normal military activities by a Japanese warplane," he said. "The Chinese side urges the Japanese side to stop this kind of dangerous behavior." The incident followed the sighting in recent days of two Chinese aircraft carriers sailing in the Pacific simultaneously for the first time. Japan said this week the aircraft carriers' activity -- described by China as "routine training" -- showed the expanding geographic scope of Beijing's military. Yoshida said on Thursday loosening Japan's surveillance, information-gathering or countermeasures against intrusion "would encourage attempts to change the status quo by force". Tokyo's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi earlier told reporters in regard to the fighter jet incident that "such abnormal approaches can lead to an accidental collision, so we have expressed serious concerns" to the Chinese side. U.S. ambassador to Japan George Glass said on social media platform X that the maneuvers by a Chinese fighter "put Japanese crew members' lives in peril". "Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression. Not so much a charm offensive as offensive harm," Glass said. Similar incidents were last reported in May and June 2014, when Chinese Su-27 fighter jets flew within 30 meters of Japanese military planes in the East China Sea. Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador at the time, while the two sides traded accusations of blame. Daisuke Kawai, director of the University of Tokyo's economic security and policy innovation program, told AFP this week that the timing of the aircraft carrier movements could be linked to U.S.-China economic tensions. "Beijing calculated that the United States would be less willing or able to respond militarily at this precise moment, seeing it as an opportune time to demonstrate its expanding military capabilities," he said. © 2025 AFP

Trump says U.S. Steel controlled by him with 'golden share'
Trump says U.S. Steel controlled by him with 'golden share'

Japan Today

timean hour ago

  • Japan Today

Trump says U.S. Steel controlled by him with 'golden share'

The United States has a "golden share" in United States Steel Corp, President Donald Trump said Thursday, adding it will be controlled by him after Nippon Steel Corp's massive investment in the iconic American producer. "We have a golden share, which I control, or a president controls. Now I'm a little concerned whoever the president might be, but that gives you total control," Trump said at a White House event. Trump also said, "It's 51 percent ownership by Americans." But he did not provide details on how the deal between the major Japanese steelmaker and the struggling American company is structured, leaving investors and many other people confused. A golden share is a type of stock that gives veto power over major management decisions, such as slashing production capacity. But it was not immediately clear how such a share would allow a controlling stake in U.S. Steel to be owned by Americans. Nippon Steel has sought to make U.S. Steel a wholly owned subsidiary. In late May, a senator from Pennsylvania, where U.S. Steel is headquartered, said the Japanese company had pledged to ensure most board members in the American producer would come from the United States. As a condition for permitting Nippon Steel to partner with U.S. Steel, Pennsylvania Sen Dave McCormick told CNBC that the U.S. government is poised to receive the special type of stock. "The control structure is going to be somewhat unique. It's a national security agreement that will be signed with the U.S. government," the Republican senator said. "There'll be a golden share that will essentially require U.S. government approval of a number of the board members, and that will allow the United States to ensure production levels aren't cut." During a speech at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania on May 30, Trump heaped praise on Nippon Steel over what he views as its partnership deal with U.S. Steel, and offered backing for the Japanese company's $14 billion investment into the American producer. At the time, he also said, "Most importantly, U.S. Steel will continue to be controlled by the USA." © KYODO

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store