The Japanese Ministry of Defense said that its forces detected a Chinese military drone near two of its southern islands on the first day of the new year, in light of the escalation of tension between the two countries.
The ministry indicated, in a statement, that it had located the Chinese march near the islands of Okinawa and Miyakojima.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that the Chinese march was a "WZ-7", and that it flew from the East China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean, before turning back to the west.
The ministry's statement added that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force prepared its combat aircraft, but the Chinese drone did not penetrate the country's airspace.
It is noteworthy that two weeks ago, Tokyo approved its largest military spending plan since World War II, at a value of $ 320 billion, and it also undertook a radical review of its defense doctrine in the face of China.
Japan said, in its national security strategy document, that China poses the country's greatest strategic challenge, adding that Beijing has not ruled out the use of military force to tighten control over the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Japanese move
Last week, Japan said it would deploy a surface-to-air missile defense unit on Yonaguni Island, in the southwestern Okinawa Prefecture, near the island of Taiwan.
Last December 21, China conducted military exercises near the island of Okinawa in the Pacific Ocean, and Tokyo responded by sending two of its warships to collect information about the maneuvers.
Tensions have escalated in the recent period between Tokyo and Beijing, as China increased its naval and air forces near its borders with Japan, and says that the Senkaku Islands belong to it, which is a group of uninhabited islands controlled by the Babans in the East China Sea.