Japan scrambled jet fighters to monitor Chinese aircraft carrier operations

Japan on Monday announced that over the past two weeks to keep tabs on China's Liaoning aircraft carrier and the nations warships that conducted naval manoeuvres and flight operations near Japanese territory, it scrambled jet fighters and made use of aircraft and warships.

In a press release, the Japanese Ministry of Defence said that the nation monitored the operations after the Chinese naval group, which includes missile destroyers, cruised between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima island on December 16, entering the Western Pacific from the East China Sea.

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On Sunday, the Chinese carrier returned in the same direction but not before makingover 300 takeoffs and landings of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, said the ministry claimed.

However, the press release made no mention of any incursions into Japanese territorial waters or skies.

China's latest large-scale military drills close to Japanese islands come after the traditional pacifist Japan recently announced plans to move away from its defence-only stance and expand its military, doubling defence expenditure. The move as per reports is to deter China from using its significant military to push territorial claims in the neighbourhood, including against Taiwan.

China has previously carried out similar operations, including one in May.

As the first country to spot the high-altitude drone, Japan also stated that it had observed flights by a Chinese WZ-7 drone near Miyakojima on Sunday and again on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)

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