Latest news with #YS-11EB
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Japan calls China's military activity its biggest strategic challenge
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber, center, is seen close to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft, partly seen at left, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force over the East China Sea on July 9, 2025. (Ministry of Defense via AP) TOKYO —Japan cautioned against China's rapid acceleration of military activity stretching from its southwestern coasts to the Pacific, describing the moves in a new defense report Tuesday as the biggest strategic challenge. China's growing military cooperation with Russia also poses serious security concerns to Japan, along with increasing tension around Taiwan and threats coming from North Korea, the Defense Ministry said in the annual report submitted to the Cabinet. 'The international society is in a new crisis era as it faces the biggest challenges since the end of World War II,' the report said, citing significant changes to the global power balance while raising concerns about an escalation of the China-U.S. rivalry. The security threats are concentrated in the Indo-Pacific, where Japan is located, and could get worse in the future, the report said. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticized the white paper, saying it "adopts a wrongful perception of China, unjustifiably interferes in China's internal affairs, and plays up the so-called China threat.' Beijing has lodged protests with Japan, Lin said, defending China's military activities as 'legitimate and reasonable.' He urged Japan to reflect on its wartime past and 'stop hyping tension in the region and China-related issues as a pretext to justify its military buildup.' Japan has strengthened its military forces on southwestern islands in recent years and was preparing to deploy long-distance cruise missiles, as it worries about a conflict in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. The presence of Chinese warships in the Pacific has steadily increased and the frequency of their passage off southwestern Japan has tripled in the past three years, including in waters between Taiwan and the neighboring Japanese island of Yonaguni, the report said. It comes days after Japan demanded China stop flying its fighter jets unusually close to Japanese intelligence-gathering aircraft, which it said was happening repeatedly and could cause a collision. Beijing in turn accused Japan of flying near Chinese airspace for spying purposes. China's increasing dispatch of aircraft carriers in the Pacific underscores the country's attempt to advance its sea power in distant waters, the report said. The Defense Ministry also noted two cases last year in which a Chinese warplane briefly violated Japanese airspace off islands near Nagasaki, and an aircraft carrier's entry into a zone just outside of Japan's territorial waters southwest of the Nansei island chain, which stretches from the southern coast of Kyushu to Taiwan. North Korea poses 'an increasingly serious and imminent threat,' the report said, noting the North's development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland.
Toronto Star
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Japan calls China's military activity its biggest strategic challenge
In this photo provided by Japan's Ministry of Defense, a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber, center, is seen close to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft, partly seen at left, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force over the East China Sea on July 9, 2025. (Ministry of Defense via AP) flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Japan Today
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan warns of China's military moves as biggest strategic challenge
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber, center, is seen close to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft, partly seen at left, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force over the East China Sea on July 9. By Mari Yamaguchi Japan raised strong caution against China's rapid acceleration of military activity in extensive areas from its southwestern coasts to the Pacific, describing the moves as the biggest strategic challenge. China's growing joint operations with Russia also pose serious security concerns to Japan, along with increasing tension around Taiwan and threats coming from North Korea, the Defense Ministry said in an annual military report submitted to Cabinet on Tuesday. 'The international society is in a new crisis era as it faces the biggest challenges since the end of World War II,' the report said, citing significant changes to the global power balance while raising concerns about an escalation of the China-U.S. rivalry. The security threats are concentrated in the Indo-Pacific, where Japan is located, and could get worse in the future, the report said. Japan has accelerated its military buildup on southwestern islands in recent years, preparing to deploy long-distance cruise missiles, as it worries about a conflict in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Taiwan launched 10-day, annual live-fire military exercises last week intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade. Japan tested a short-range, surface-to-ship missile at home earlier last month. Chinese warships' advance in the Pacific has steadily increased, with the frequency of their passage off southwestern Japan tripling in the past three years, including in waters between Taiwan and its neighboring Japanese island of Yonaguni, the 534-page report said. The report comes days after Japan demanded China stop flying its fighter jets abnormally close to Japanese intelligence-gathering aircraft, which it said was happening repeatedly and could cause a collision. Beijing, in return, accused Japan of flying near Chinese airspace for spying purposes. Two earlier close encounters in June occurred over the Pacific Ocean, where Japan spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers operating together for the first time. China's increasing dispatch of aircraft carriers in the Pacific underscores the country's attempt to advance its sea power in distant waters, the report said. It said China's frequent dispatch of bombers for long-distance flights in the Pacific by more sophisticated flight routes and fleet organization is seen as Beijing's attempt to show off its presence around Japan and to further advance its operational capability. The Defense Ministry noted two cases last year — a Chinese warplane's brief violation of Japanese airspace over waters off islands near Nagasaki and an aircraft carrier's entry into a zone just outside of Japan's territorial waters further southwest of the Nansei island chain, which stretches from the southern coast of Kyushu to Taiwan. With President Donald Trump focusing on the strengthening of the U.S. economy and security, Japan and other U.S. allies face expectations to play a greater role for peace and stability in the region, the report said. North Korea poses 'an increasingly serious and imminent threat' for Japan's security, the report said, noting the North's development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads into Japanese territory and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Russia maintains active military operations around Japan and violated the country's airspace in September, the report added, saying its increasing strategic cooperation with China has posed 'strong concern' for Japan's security. Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
China Blasts US Ally Over Spying in Air Defense Zone
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China has accused Japan—a United States treaty ally in Northeast Asia—of sending spy planes to its so-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the contested East China Sea. The remarks from Beijing come after Tokyo said YS-11EB intelligence-gathering aircraft had experienced close aerial encounters with Chinese planes while conducting surveillance over the region last week. Newsweek has reached out to the Japanese Defense Ministry for further comment via email. Why It Matters Japan forms part of a defensive island line known as the First Island Chain under a U.S. containment strategy that aims to restrict China's military activities in its immediate waters, including the East China Sea, which lies off China's eastern coast and separates it from Japan. The East Asian neighbors have two ongoing disputes in the East China Sea: one over the sovereignty of the uninhabited Senkaku island group—administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyu Islands—and the other over energy exploration in the region. In 2013, China established an ADIZ—for the purpose of identification and early warning—over international waters in the East China Sea, outside its territorial airspace. The zone overlaps with those of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, a Newsweek map shows. What To Know In a statement released on Sunday, Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, claimed that Japan Air Self-Defense Force reconnaissance aircraft had entered China's ADIZ in the East China Sea multiple times for what the official called "close-in reconnaissance." Regarding the close aerial encounters between Japanese and Chinese aircraft that occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, the Chinese spokesperson defended the actions taken by his country's military. "Chinese aircraft responded by verifying, identifying, following, and monitoring [the Japanese aircraft]," the spokesperson said, adding that those actions were "fully justified, reasonable, professional, and standardized." The Chinese aircraft involved on both occasions were identified by Japan as JH-7 fighter-bombers. The Chinese official said the Japanese military's close-in reconnaissance and interference were the "root causes" of air and sea safety risks affecting the two militaries. China's Defense Ministry has not yet released any footage or images of the close aerial encounters. It remains unclear how close the Japanese YS-11EB aircraft were to China's territorial airspace, which extends 13.8 miles from its East China Sea coastline. A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flies close to a Japanese YS-11EB intelligence-gathering aircraft over the East China Sea on July 9, 2025. A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flies close to a Japanese YS-11EB intelligence-gathering aircraft over the East China Sea on July 9, 2025. Japan's Defense Ministry Japan has been closely monitoring China's military activities around the First Island Chain, including the recent tracking of two Chinese aircraft carriers in the broader Western Pacific Ocean, during which Chinese fighter jets intercepted a Japanese patrol aircraft in early June. What People Are Saying Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, said in a statement on Sunday: "We hope that the Japanese side will work with the Chinese side to create a proper atmosphere for the stable development of bilateral relations." Japan's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday of the Chinese interceptions: "Such an unusual approach by Chinese military aircraft could provoke an accidental collision." What Happens Next Japan is likely to continue its spy flights over the East China Sea as disputes with China remain unresolved. Aerial encounters between the two sides are expected to occur again.
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan urges China to stop flying fighter jets too close to Japanese military aircraft
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan has demanded China stop flying its fighter jets abnormally close to Japanese intelligence-gathering aircraft, which it said was happening repeatedly and could cause a collision. Japan's Defense Ministry said a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flew as close to 30 meters (98 feet) to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force on Wednesday and Thursday. The ministry said it occurred outside Japanese airspace over the East China Sea and caused no damage to the Japanese side. China had no immediate comment on the latest incident. Previously, Beijing alleged that Japan flew close to its aircraft and was spying on China's ordinary military activity, and demanded Japan stop its actions. Japan is concerned about China's acceleration of its military buildup, especially in Japan's southwestern areas. Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Thursday that its vice minister Takehiro Funakoshi expressed "serious concern" to Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao and strongly requested Beijing to stop the activity that could "provoke accidental collisions" and strongly urged China to ensure that similar actions are not repeated. The countries traded accusations over similar close encounters last month when Japan said a Chinese combat aircraft flew extremely close to Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, where two Chinese aircraft carrier s were seen operating together for the first time. The incident comes as economic ties between Japan and China appear to be warming as the two countries face the U.S. tariff war. On Friday, Japan announced the start of its animal health and quarantine agreement with China, which paves the way for a resumption of Japanese beef exports to China. A ban has been imposed since 2001 after an outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan and expectation there for resuming beef exports is high, though a timeline was unknown. The agreement came less than two weeks after China partially lifted a 22-month ban on Japanese seafood imports over the country's discharges of treated radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant that began in 2023. China has since approved re-registration of three Japanese seafood exporters.
