The NHK public broadcaster and other local media reported that it was the first time that a helicopter of the Chinese government has raped Japanese airspace of the disputed islands.
The same day, the Chinese coastal guard announced that it had used a helicopter to “expel” a Japanese airplane from airspace around the disputed islands.
Liu Dejun, spokesperson for the Chinese Coast Guard, said that a Japanese civilian aircraft illegally entered the islands at 11:19 am (10:19 am Singapore) and left five minutes later.
Beijing frequently announces that she has moved away from the Japanese ships and planes from the islands, but Japanese officials have told AFP that the Chinese authorities sometimes announce evictions when none had occurred.
Named Japanese officials told local media that Beijing perhaps reacted to a small Japanese plane flying near the islands.
Chinese and Japanese patrol ships at the eastern China Sea have regularly staged dangerous confrontations around the disputed islands.
Tensions between China and other applicants in certain parts of East China and South China have pushed Japan to deepen links with the Philippines and the United States.
