Japan scrambles jets after Chinese plane flies by southern islands

One unarmed propeller aircraft flying in international airspace? How many fighter jets did Japan deploy? Last time it was eight. Tactically, you only need 2.

Kinda overkill and somewhat provocative, if you ask me. This is indeed how wars start.

So that's the first time that China took over first island chain continuing with it's 'peaceful' politics contrary to Japanese 'militarisation'... How many days it's been since they Chinese research vessel intruded into Japanese EEZ? One day? Tht's probably milestone for them and there will be many heavy medals during next naval parade...

One unarmed propeller aircraft flying in international airspace?

Read the report properly. It was a Y-8 military early warning aircraft. Armed or not, it is used by the Chinese military.

Kinda overkill and somewhat provocative, if you ask me. This is indeed how wars start.

Wars start with military aircraft flying through international airspace. International airspace is for permitted commercial airliners. Not for a Chinese military air route.

"Wars start with military aircraft flying through international airspace."

LOL. No they don't. For decades Soviet Tupolev Bears flew off the coasts of UK, Canada, etc. Wasn't a big deal, hardly reported in the media, no hissy fits, etc.

The countries would send up a couple of interceptors, and the pilots got to know each other so well, they'd even wave at each other. And guess what? There was no Cold War. The Senkakus fracas, however, seems dark and foreboding.

So you mean China had started being the new Soviet Union threatening others and it 'isn't a big deal'? Something's wrong there...

Read the report properly. It was a Y-8 military early warning aircraft.

Shaanxi Y-8, which Jeff properly described as one unarmed propeller aircraft. Why you feel the need to be contradictory and try to ominously inject the name of the aircraft is beyond me. Are we supposed to be extra scared now that the unarmed propeller plane has a letter and a number?

And you know what? The United States has done spy flights just outside Chinese airspace for decades. You know how they did it? By using air bases in Japan. The U.S. and Japan started this decades ago, and now that the chickens come home to roost is all "Woe is me" and "Those blood-thirsty Chinese!".

The Chinese have been extremely patient in the face of U.S. and Japanese aggressiveness. So stop being so God forsaken hypocritical when a taste your own medicine comes calling.

One unarmed propeller aircraft flying in international airspace? How many fighter jets did Japan deploy? Last time it was eight. Tactically, you only need 2.

Kinda overkill and somewhat provocative, if you ask me. This is indeed how wars start.

Wilfully naive comment, methinks. International airspace, yes, but how blissful life would be if China's intentions really were innocent. No one, except you, possibly, believes that to be true. Clearly provocative. It's not a jolly excursion.

No, Shankun, I'm saying that countries dispatching slow, unarmed propeller aircraft in international airspace near your borders has been common practice for many years, and isn't necessarily provocative. It depends how you want to play it.

And Japan, with eight aircraft scrambles and its officials warning of "expansion" wants to play rough and tough (at least until Abe's next stomach ulcer. LOL).

"Threating others" would involve China sending up its armed fighters, which is what Japan is doing.

The Chinese have been extremely patient in the face of U.S. and Japanese aggressiveness. So stop being so God forsaken hypocritical when a taste your own medicine comes calling.

Yeah yeah... Though they can't document it.

"Those blood-thirsty Chinese!"

Indeed...

It say japan bought the three islands from a private japanese owner. So I dont see why china cant just back off.

china warns japan not to provoke her over the senkakus but yet does this and we see in the news that china keeps sending their ships every single day to the waters around the senkakus, they grant permits to "survey vessels" to survey the water around the senkakus, and yet japan is the one doing the provoking? huh, i wonder how that works.

sorry to say this, but china is one big, spoiled brat.

Military airplanes have been flown out of Japan and into international air space around China to spy on it for the last few decades now.

Lets hope Japan don't whine when China do the same to Japan in the future.

Japan started it all. Then talk tough and spent money and promised aid to anyone who has an issue with China. What do you expect China to do? Just roll over and play dead. The US is one mighty bossy nation, but they do look at facts rather closely. If Japan does anything rash over one silly plane, the people in the US will know what not to do!

Scott JohnsonJul. 25, 2013 - 08:01AM JST

The Chinese have been extremely patient in the face of U.S. and Japanese aggressiveness

Yea, I can hear all those Asian countries compla8ining about US and Japanese "aggression" Time to wake up and smell the pu-ar tea. China is the aggressor in the eyes of all Asia..

A fly-past of Japanese jet fighters to celebrate Abe's win in the Upper House? I am afraid this could become a daily affair with his continuous beating of war drums in Kabuki fashion.

Old men start wars, young men die in wars.

We are seeing the limits of the defence only doctrine of Japan. Sending fighters to escort propeller planes is a losing proposition monetarily.

Just put a short-range SAM battery on the islands - that would render Chinese attempts to assert their "sovereignty" moot.

Yea, I can hear all those Asian countries compla8ining about US and Japanese "aggression"

Not that I have any idea how you think you know the opinion of South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Burma, etc., but I was not speaking of "all those Asian countries". I was speaking of China. America maintains bases half way around the world for decades to antagonize China. China has stepped off their front porch today and people are pooping their pants.

The last time China was involved in an armed conflict was 1979 as far as I know. America has been in a near constant state of war since WWII. China may have some border squabbles, but so does Japan, and Japan with every single neighbor...every single one. But China sends up one propeller driven spy plane and some people go into complete mental breakdown. Give me a break.

Old men start wars, young men die in wars.

True, I just can't wait to see the Japanese faces of young people (who can vote but dont) when ABE will decide to raise a national army and probably install a conscription system, they will probably at this time blame their old parent for having supported the LDP ;)

Why so jittery when it is only flying through international air space.

queensNYJul. 25, 2013 - 10:13AM JST

yeah, japan has disputes with neighboring countries over islands but at least it doesn't go invading them or occupying them. for example,

Go read a history book, will you?

i meant to add post-WWII, obviously. I know my history, thanks.

yeah, japan has disputes with neighboring countries over islands but at least it doesn't go invading them or occupying them.

Please do tell us which country have build structure on the disputed island between Japan and China? Which country build that lighthouse? It was Japan!

not to mention china unilaterally redefining its borders to include other disputed islands as part of its territory and then claiming that they have historically always been part of china.

All this started because Japan unilaterally tried to change the dispute status of the islands by Nationalizing them. Even though Japan and China had a gentlemen agreement in the 70s to put this dispute aside to build friendly relationships.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/05/national/japan-china-agreed-to-shelve-senkaku-row-in-1970s-nonaka-says-in-beijing/#.UfCDPG2AF0R

You are also in a rush to forget that Japan hosts the U.S. military which does do selfish invasions

i know what the US. does, but we're talking about a "squabble" between japan and china. not the US/japan and china.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Bahrain, Indonesia, etc are doing the same.

i admit i didn't know this. do you have examples? as for china redrawing its maps, here are some examples

http://live.wsj.com/video/china-redraws-map-on-passport/40A219EC-B268-4E56-B447-6196B0C4BA19.html#!40A219EC-B268-4E56-B447-6196B0C4BA19

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/06/03/China-Redraws-Map-To-Include-Major-Trade-Route

This one probably read the adulterated history books published and used in the Japanese school system

sorry to disappoint, but wrong. U.S. school system, actually (there's probably a joke in there somewhere)

Please do tell us which country have build structure on the disputed island between Japan and China? Which country build that lighthouse? It was Japan!

it was a group of japanese that went there illegally, not the government. in fact, the government doesn't allow ANYONE on the island, including japanese. i'm sure you see in the news that there are also loads of chinese and taiwanese who are constantly trying to (illegally) get ashore, right?

All this started because Japan unilaterally tried to change the dispute status of the islands

the islands have been part of japan since 1895 and the treaty of shimonoseki. the dispute started in the 1960s when they found large deposits of natural resources around the islands. hmmm....

It's good Japan is taking a tough stance against China like this, that way China won't risk overt aggression, knowing the consequences small incidents like this cause.

PRC revanchism at it's best I see.

American war planes fly this sapce all the time. We're suffering from duality in views, those who we like and those who we don't like. If anyone is to be concerned, it should be the Chinese, they are surrounded by hostile forces and historically the 8 western nations had plundered China. Its only normal to build up a military when your faced with danger all round.

That philipino coast guard ship that shot and killed a Taiwanese fisherman, the philos claim a coast line that reaches 2km away from the beach in Kenting Taiwan. Craziness is all around.

Still what can two Japanese fighter planes do? Shoot down the Chinese plane and start a war? Granted as thing escalates, you never know but Japan can't back up any aggressive action. I mean japan doesn't any armed forces. JSDF isn't large enough nor doesn't it have the technical ability with something being done to Article 9. Even if article 9 is changed and JSDF becomes a true military. Don't see any good result from any aggressive action for Japan.

It is another provocation in China's series of provocations.

i admit i didn't know this. do you have examples?

On January 19, 1974, the Battle of the Paracel Islands occurred between China and South Vietnam. After the battle, China gained control over the entire Paracel Islands.

In July 2012 the National Assembly of Vietnam passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

Just start researching the Spratlys and the Paracels and enjoy the crazy talk on all sides. But for some reason, so many want to make China out to be the bad guy no matter what, and eventually, being so unfair to China will cost us. China is nearly as right and wrong as anyone else, with one major exception: the Chinese military is not post across the globe and has never displayed such intentions.

In World War 2, Japanese didn't start the war until the enemy started the war against Germany by Western Colonists. Japan defeated United States by Japanese aircraft carrier group in Pearl Harbor but United States used nuclear bomb in the second stage of war which changed the status of war to occupation of Japan by Article 9 or new constitution

re: Scott Johnson

Perhaps the focus on China is because of their (somewhat extravagant) claims to almost all of the South China Sea. I'm sure you've seen it on maps - it runs all the way down the coast of Vietnam, way down to Indonesia's economic zone then past East Malaysia & back up the coast of the Philippines.

And given their growing "blue water" navy acting to enforce their claims vs. Vietnam and the Philippines in particular, these are not academic issues in the region and mirror their tactics vs Japan.

Frankly, their policy viz Japan and the disputed islands baffles me as it was bound to result in a strengthening of sentiment in Japan for a stronger military - Abe or no Abe. Which, one would assume, would not be in their tactical or strategic interest.

So, no surprise, they will now have a Japanese military response. (as well, much smaller Vietnam is buying Russian attack submarines and even the Philippines will add to their little navy- which I don't think are a result of the threat from Japan!)