TOKYO — Japan has voiced renewed concern over China’s growing military power, a day after two Chinese naval planes made a close approach to a disputed island chain in the East China Sea.
Top government spokesman Yukio Edano said Japan scrambled fighter-jets on Wednesday to chase off the Chinese planes flying some 55 kilometres (34 miles) from the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
According to Japanese media reports citing unnamed officials, it was the closest approach yet by Chinese military aircraft to the islands, which have been at the centre of a bitter row between the Asian giants.
However, the Chinese aircraft — identified by Kyodo News as Y-8 intelligence and antisubmarine patrol planes — did not enter Japanese territory and flew off once they were confronted.
“We regard the modernisation of China’s military power and its growing and intense activities as concerns,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano. “Our country will continue to pay close attention to moves by China’s military.”
He said that Japan so far had no plans to lodge an official complaint over the flights, which he said were “outside of our country’s airspace and did not violate international law”.
China’s increased military activity has sparked a defence rethink in which Japan has said it plans to send more forces to its scattered southern islands and away from Cold War-era locations in the north near Russia.
Last year Japan’s Self-Defence Force dispatched its fighters 48 times in response to close flights by Chinese military aircraft between April and December, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily.
The two Asian powers had their worst diplomatic spat in years following collisions in disputed waters in September between two Japanese coastguard patrol boats and a Chinese fishing vessel.
Both sides as well as Taiwan claim the Japan-administered and potentially resource-rich islets as their own.
