Japan scrambles jets as Chinese Y-9 aircraft fly over East China Sea

Japan's Ministry of Defense reported that Chinese Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over the East China Sea for five consecutive days, from September 3 to September 7, 2026. The aircraft operated near the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture and the waters off Okinawa Island. In response to these flights, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled fighter jets on each occasion.

The Ministry noted that the Y-9 aircraft entered the East China Sea from the direction of the Chinese mainland and returned to the mainland without violating Japanese airspace.

In a separate incident recorded on September 5, 2026, a Russian Il-20 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew from the mainland through the Sea of Okhotsk into the Pacific, reaching as far south as the waters off Miyagi Prefecture. This flight also triggered a scramble by the JASDF Northern Air Defense Force. No incursions into Japanese territorial airspace were reported for either the Chinese or Russian flights.