The Ministry of Defense announced on the 14th that Chinese military drones flew over the Pacific Ocean after passing over the airspace between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima.
A large-scale joint exercise between the Self-Defense Forces and the US military is being held around Okinawa, and the Ministry of Defense is analyzing the purpose of the flight.
According to the Ministry of Defense, from the morning to the afternoon of the 14th, three Chinese military reconnaissance drones "BZK-005", a Y9 intelligence-gathering aircraft, and a Y9 patrol aircraft flew over the sky between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima. It was confirmed to have passed into the Pacific Ocean.
After that, the three planes flew over the Pacific Ocean east of the main island of Okinawa, then flew the same course and returned to the East China Sea.
The Air Self-Defense Force's fighters responded by scramble = emergency launch, and there was no violation of the airspace.
In the vicinity of Okinawa, a large-scale joint exercise between the Self-Defense Forces and the US military has been held since the 10th of this month, and according to Ministry of Defense officials, there is a possibility that information was gathered.
This is the sixth time that the Ministry of Defense has announced the flight of a Chinese drone or an aircraft presumed to be a drone around Japan.We are analyzing the purpose of the flight and continuing vigilance and surveillance.