Japan's Ministry of Defense says Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft have been active in the East China Sea airspace, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets in response.

[Japan Ministry of Defense: Chinese Y-9 Reconnaissance Aircraft Conducts Surveillance Flight Over East China Sea]

According to the Japan Ministry of Defense's Joint Staff Office on July 6, 2026: On the afternoon of July 6, it was confirmed that a Chinese military Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft (Y-9) flew in from the direction of mainland China, traversed the East China Sea toward the southern waters near the Noto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, then turned southwest, circled in the East China Sea northwest of Okinawa Island before turning back northward. Subsequently, the aircraft altered course again southwest of the Noto Islands and headed back toward mainland China.

In response, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Western Air Defense Force and other units scrambled fighter jets for emergency takeoff operations.

[Follow this official account for more military news]

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869965509617802/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.