Chinese military plane violates Japanese territorial airspace for the first time according to Japan

A Chinese military surveillance plane, identified as a Y-9, entered Japanese territorial airspace off the country's southwestern coast on Monday, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets to warn the aircraft to leave. This is the first known incursion by China's military into Japanese airspace. Japan's Self-Defense Force put fighter jets on high alert and issued a warning to the Chinese aircraft, but no weapons were fired. The incident has been condemned by Japan as a "serious violation" of its airspace, with the country's chief government spokesman calling it "utterly unacceptable". The incident comes amid rising tensions in the region, where China is competing for influence against the US. Japan has accused China of repeated maritime provocations near disputed islands in the East China Sea, and this latest incident is seen as a further escalation of regional tensions.