March 28, 2024
TOKYO – The Defence Ministry announced Tuesday that the Air Self-Defence Force scrambled its fighters that morning after a Chinese reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew over the Sea of Japan for the first time.
The UAV was a Chinese WZ-7 drone and did not intrude into Japanese territorial airspace, according to the ministry.
The Chinese drone came from the west over the Sea of Japan from the direction of continental Asia. The ministry assumed that it had flown through the territorial airspaces of North Korea or Russia before flying over the Sea of Japan.
The UAV flew over the Sea of Japan before turning back in the direction of continental Asia.