A Chinese J-15 carrier-based fighter flew unusually close to a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft twice over the weekend, Japan's Ministry of Defense said June 11, 2025. (Japan’s Ministry of Defense)
Chinese fighter jets had two close encounters with Japanese patrol aircraft as Beijing’s two aircraft carriers operated simultaneously in the Pacific for the first time, according to Japan’s military.
A Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter tailed a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol plane for 40 minutes Saturday morning and 80 minutes Sunday afternoon, coming within 150 feet of the Japanese aircraft during both incidents, the Ministry of Defense said in a news release Wednesday.
On Sunday, a J-15 also crossed within 3,000 feet in front of the Japanese aircraft. A photo released by the ministry shows the Chinese jet flying to the left of the P-3C over international waters. No injuries or damage occurred, the ministry said.
A spokesman with Japan’s Joint Staff did not confirm whether the same Chinese jet was involved in both incidents. Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
“The unusual approach of such Chinese military aircraft could provoke accidental collisions,” the release said. The ministry called on Beijing to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Both encounters involved a J-15 that took off from the aircraft carrier Shandong, one of five Chinese warships operating about 340 miles southeast of Miyako Island. The group entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, on Monday, according to a Joint Staff news release that day.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier Liaoning and three accompanying warships were spotted over the weekend in Japan’s easternmost EEZ, approximately 185 miles southwest of Minamitorishima, the Joint Staff said Sunday.
It marked the first time China’s two carriers have been seen operating simultaneously in the Pacific, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday during a news conference in Tokyo.
The movements are likely part of Beijing’s efforts to expand its blue-water naval capabilities, a Joint Staff spokesperson told Stars and Stripes this week.
In response, Japan is “advancing the installment of mobile warning and control radars in the remote islands on the Pacific side to strengthen air defense in the surrounding airspace of our nation,” Nakatani said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference Monday that the carriers’ operations are “fully consistent with international law and international practices.”
In a post Tuesday on its official X account, the Chinese navy said the carriers were “[testing] their capabilities in far seas protection and joint operations.”
