Tokyo Says Chinese Fighter Jet Came Within 50 Yards of Japanese Patrol Aircraft

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Jun 13, 2025 - 10:05 Updated: Jun 13, 2025 - 09:54
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Tokyo Says Chinese Fighter Jet Came Within 50 Yards of Japanese Patrol Aircraft

Japan has raised concerns with the Chinese communist regime after a Chinese fighter jet approached its patrol aircraft at an unusually close distance of 50 yards, Tokyo said on June 12.

The encounter occurred on the morning of June 7, when a Chinese J-15 fighter jet flew near a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was carrying out a surveillance mission, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.

The Chinese jet came within 45 meters (50 yards) of the Japanese patrol aircraft in an action that lasted about 40 minutes, the ministry said.

The following day, a Chinese fighter jet crossed 900 meters (980 yards) in front of several Japanese aircraft, Tokyo said, adding that the second encounter lasted approximately 80 minutes.

The Chinese military planes were launched from Shandong, one of the two aircraft carriers that China sent to the Pacific Ocean for simultaneous operations for the first time, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.

“Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions,” the Japanese ministry said in a statement on June 11.

Accompanying its comments were two images of a J-15 fighter jet that were captured on June 8.

It added that there was no damage to Japan’s military aircraft or personnel. Yoshimasa Hayashi, a top spokesperson for the Japanese government, told reporters on June 12 that Japan has expressed “serious concern” over the recent encounters. He said Tokyo had asked Beijing to take measures to prevent similar incidents from happening.

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A Chinese J-15 fighter jet over the Pacific on June 8, 2025. The Ministry of Defense via AP
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Japan’s military chief of staff, Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, said the Chinese jets’ maneuvers were unlikely to have been made by mistake.

“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 told reporters on June 12.

When asked about Tokyo’s comments at a daily briefing in Beijing, China’s foreign ministry defended its navy’s operations as being in line with international laws while blaming Japan for the incidents.

“Let me stress that the close maneuvers of Japan’s vessels and airplanes on Chinese military’s normal activities are the root cause of such security risks,” Lin Jian, the ministry’s spokesman, told reporters on June 12.

He mentioned that the defense departments of both nations are in communication regarding the situation.

‘Reckless Aggression’

The U.S. ambassador to Japan, George Glass, took to social media to condemn the reckless maneuvers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“The recent dangerous maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers’ lives in peril must be another of Beijing’s ‘good neighbor’ efforts,” Glass said in a June 12 post on social media platform X.

“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.”

In February, over the South China Sea, a Chinese navy helicopter come just 10 feet from a Philippine patrol flight that was carrying Manila’s coast guard personnel and international journalists.
That incident occurred only a week after Australia’s defense ministry complained to Beijing, saying that a PLA fighter jet fired flares within 32 yards in front of an Australian aircraft over the South China Sea. Although Australian officials reported no injuries or damages, they voiced concerns about the PLA’s “unsafe and unprofessional interaction.”
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The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship conduct what it called an "unsafe” maneuver in the Taiwan Strait, on June 3, 2023. Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP
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Such close encounters were also reported by the U.S. military. In June 2023, a PLA Navy warship sailed within 150 yards of a U.S. destroyer that was transiting through the Taiwan Strait alongside a Canadian warship.
In December 2022, a PLA Navy fighter jet flew as close as 20 feet from the nose of a U.S. Air Force plane over the South China Sea, forcing the U.S. aircraft to take evasive maneuvers to avoid collision.
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