Too Close for Discomfort, Chinese Did It Again

from various sources

by the editor

JUNE 12, 2014

One of Su-27s  that approached too close to JSDF aircraft on June 11. (Defense Ministry)

Japan’s Defense Ministry announced that a pair of Su-27 fighters approached  at abnormally close distance in air  to

Self Defense Force ISR aircraft over East China Sea at 11a.m. and noon JST respectively. Two Japanese aircraft were OP-3C imagery information gathering of Maritime SDF and YS-11EB electronic information gathering mission of Air SDF and both aircraft were approached by Chinese fighters as close as a 30 meters. Both Chinese aircraft did not violate Japanese airspace and did not cause any damage to SDF aircraft and crew.

Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera publicly announced the incident in the evening of the same day, saying the government conveyed its message of protest to Beijing through diplomatic channel. Onodera also mentioned that  this Chinese behavior was very dangerous as it might have caused an accident. He also said that the Chinese should show more discipline.

This incident is the second attempt by Chinese since the May 24 event. As it was scheduled to convene Japan-Australia diplomatic-defense consultation in the evening of the same day, some Japanese government source showed a view that Chinese had tried its move against Tokyo.

According to Defense Ministry, the incident occurred at airspace 300 km north of Senkaku Islands, Okinawa where Air Defense Identification Zones of Japan and China overlap and close to the intermediate line between the two countries.

The two SDF planes allegedly were in surveillance mission to monitor military activities of Chinese forces. The Chinese fighters, carrying air-to-air missiles, did not try to warn by radio.

In May 29, China claimed that a Chinese air force plane had been chased by Japanese military aircraft at as close as 10 meters in November 2013. Defense Minister Onodera immediately responded to this claim saying there was no such a fact.

China is seemingly trying to make their self-imposed ADIZ as an accomplished fact by repeating scrambles.■