Japan deploys fighter jets to counter six Chinese aircraft in the East China Sea.

Japan scrambled fighter jets yesterday in response to six Chinese military aircraft flying over the Miyako Strait off Okinawa, southwestern Japan.

Chinese fighter jets. (Illustrative image: Reuters)

Japan's Defense Ministry said the six Chinese military aircraft included two Su-30 fighter jets, two H-6 bombers, and two intelligence-gathering aircraft, according to Kyodo.

Six Chinese aircraft flew southwest from the East China Sea and crossed the airspace of the Mikyako Strait.After reaching the Pacific side of the strait, two Chinese fighter jets flew back to the East China Sea, while the remaining four aircraft flew southwest towards the Bashi Channel, which lies between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Chinese aircraft did not violate Japanese airspace, the Japanese Ministry of Defense added.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Defense expressed "deep concern" over what it called "two Japanese F-15 fighter jets harassing Chinese air force training in the western Pacific, leading to close encounters between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft."

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said that Japanese aircraft "threatened the safety of Chinese aircraft" by approaching at close range and "firing jamming flares."

Yang then went on to emphasize that the Miyako Strait, located between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island in Japan, is an international waterway and that China's military training is "in accordance with relevant international law and practice."

The incident occurred two weeks after a Chinese aircraft was shadowed by two Japanese planes during a similar exercise in late November. At that time, the Chinese aircraft also passed through the Miyako Strait near Japan's Okinawa island, home to a large number of US troops stationed in the country.

Chinese media reported that the country's forces paid particular attention to the Miyako Strait during exercises, as it is one of the few international waterways through which the Chinese military can access the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea.

Location of Miyako Strait. Graphic: news.com.au

According to VNE