Chinese warplanes were reported to have approached Japanese islands Miyako and Okinawa Saturday, prompting the Japanese air force to scramble F-15 fighter jets in response. The air exercise was stated by Beijing to be a drill to improve the country's long-range combat capabilities, according to Japan Today.
The exercise involved 11 Chinese warplanes, including eight bombers, two intelligence-gathering planes and one early-warning aircraft. Flying between the two islands and circling around neighboring islands, the Chinese aircraft were careful enough to avoid violating Japan's airspace.
Meanwhile, three Chinese coast guard ships have also entered what Japan considers its territorial waters in the East China Sea Saturday. The Chinese ships were reported to have approached the Senkaku Islands, a group of islets that are also being claimed by China, reported The Nation.
Japan has been particular about its territorial waters, which extend for 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from the shoreline of the islets. The Chinese vessels traveled as close as 19 kilometers away from one of the islets in the disputed territory, prompting Japan to issue warnings to the Chinese vessels' crews.
Both incidents, which prompted an assertive response from Japan, come as tensions between the two Asian powers remain high due to China's continuing assertive stance in the East China Sea and a number of issues revolving around Japan's military aggression in the first half of the previous century.
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