Three Chinese Y-9 intelligence-gathering and patrol aircraft fly over East China Sea to Pacific in two days; Japanese fighters scramble repeatedly

TOKYO

Three Chinese military Y-9-series aircraft flew over the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean over two days on the 20th and 21st, prompting Japan's Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighters. The Joint Staff of Japan's Ministry of Defense said in two announcements on the 23rd that it had identified one Y-9 patrol aircraft and one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft on Tuesday the 20th, and one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft from the morning to the afternoon of Wednesday the 21st, over the East China Sea and the Pacific. The same day, the Joint Staff also disclosed that one Russian IL-20 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Saturday the 17th.

Chinese Y-9 patrol and intelligence-gathering aircraft fly as far as the Pacific on the 20th

The first announcement issued by the Joint Staff on the 23rd was titled "Chinese aircraft activity around Japan." According to the document, the ASDF detected Chinese aircraft over the East China Sea and the Pacific on the 20th, and ASDF fighters scrambled to monitor their activity. The aircraft listed in the document were one Y-9 patrol aircraft and one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft.

Although both belong to the Y-9 series, the two aircraft were labeled with different mission designations. The Joint Staff published separate photos of the two, labeling one a patrol aircraft and the other an intelligence-gathering aircraft. Whether the two flew together in the same time frame, and when they flew, does not appear in the body of the English-language document released. The document showed the flight paths only in an attached activity overview map. It also did not disclose the type or number of fighters scrambled.

The announcement came on the 23rd, three days after the flight. The English-language document's category heading is "Event Summary/Chinese Military Activities."

One Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flies from morning to afternoon on the 21st

The second announcement covered the flight on the 21st. The Joint Staff said one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over the East China Sea and the Pacific from the morning to the afternoon of the 21st, and ASDF fighters scrambled to monitor it. The patrol aircraft that had appeared the previous day is not in that day's document.

That brings the number of Y-9-series aircraft identified over the two days of the 20th and 21st to three. The Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft appeared over the East China Sea and the Pacific two days in a row, and Japanese fighters also sortied two days in a row. The second document likewise showed the flight path only in an attached map. The flight times also differed. The flight on the 21st and the Y-9 and drone flights on the 14th continued from morning to afternoon, while the Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flights on August 12 and August 25 took place in the afternoon.

Y-9 also appeared last week together with two drones

A Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft also appeared near Japan a week earlier. The Joint Staff said in an announcement on the 16th that it had detected three Chinese aircraft over the East China Sea and the Pacific from the morning to the afternoon of Wednesday the 14th. They were one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft, one WZ-7 reconnaissance drone, and one presumed Chinese drone. The Joint Staff marked the affiliation, type and number of the third drone all as "presumed." ASDF fighters scrambled on that occasion as well.

A crewed intelligence-gathering aircraft and an uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft appeared together over the East China Sea and the Pacific on the same day. The Joint Staff published side by side in the document photos of the Y-9 and WZ-7 taken by the ASDF.

A Japan-U.S. joint exercise was also held in the East China Sea on the same day, the 14th. According to a Joint Staff announcement on the 15th, two F-15 fighters of the ASDF's 9th Air Wing, one E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft of the Airborne Warning and Control Wing and four U.S. F-22 fighters conducted tactical training that day over the East China Sea northwest of Okinawa. The Joint Staff said the exercise reaffirmed Japan and the United States' resolve not to tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo by force. The Joint Staff did not mention any link between the Chinese aircraft flights and the Japan-U.S. exercise in either announcement.

Y-9 intelligence-gathering flights continued in first half of fiscal year between south of Danjo Islands and waters off Okinawa's main island

Flights by Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft over the East China Sea were also repeated in the first half of this fiscal year. The document "Status of scrambles through the first half of FY2026," released by the Joint Staff on the 16th, listed as a feature of the first half "flights over the East China Sea by Chinese Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft (confirmed and disclosed on five consecutive days in September)."

According to the disclosed cases listed in the document, Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew or made round trips between south of the Danjo Islands and waters off Okinawa's main island in the East China Sea on May 28, July 6, August 12, August 19 and August 25. In September, they flew the same route for five consecutive days from the 3rd to the 7th (round trips on the 6th and 7th), and also made a round trip off the southwest of the Danjo Islands on the 9th. On June 12 and August 18, one TB-001 reconnaissance-strike drone was also identified in the same airspace.

The flight areas in the first-half cases were all in the East China Sea. The Joint Staff said in an August 14 announcement that one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over the East China Sea on the afternoon of Wednesday the 12th, prompting fighters to scramble, and in an August 26 announcement also gave the flight area on the afternoon of Tuesday the 25th as the East China Sea. The latest flights on the 20th and 21st, and the three-aircraft flight on the 14th, spanned the East China Sea and the Pacific. The August flights were disclosed two days later or the next day, while the flight on the 20th was disclosed three days later.

The document also summarized cases of airspace violations. Since 1967 there have been 49 disclosed airspace violations, of which 44 were by Russia (including the former Soviet Union), 4 by China and 1 by Taiwan. The four Chinese cases were one Y-12 on December 13, 2012 (over territorial waters south of Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands), one small drone on May 18, 2017 (over territorial waters west of Uotsuri Island), one Y-9 on August 26, 2024 (over territorial waters of the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture), and a helicopter on May 3, 2025 (over territorial waters south of Uotsuri Island), the helicopter case being the most recent on the list. Uchikura, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, explained at an April news conference that the helicopter took off from a China Coast Guard ship that had intruded into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands. No airspace violations disclosed in 2026 appear in the document.

Chinese carrier Liaoning group, destroyers and supply ship also passed near Japan last week

During the same period as the aircraft activity, Chinese navy ships also passed one after another through waters around Japan. The Joint Staff said in an announcement on the 16th that the Maritime Self-Defense Force detected four Chinese navy ships sailing south in waters about 390 km southwest of the Danjo Islands at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday the 13th. The four were the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Liaoning (hull number 16), two Renhai-class destroyers (103 and 104) and one Luyang III-class destroyer (123).

The ships passed through the waters between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island on the 14th and headed southeast into the Pacific. The MSDF confirmed carrier-based fighter takeoffs and landings on the Liaoning the same day in waters about 250 km south of Ishigaki Island, and ASDF fighters scrambled in response to the carrier-based aircraft. In a follow-up announcement on the 19th, the Joint Staff said it had confirmed about 10 takeoffs and landings by carrier-based fighters and helicopters on the Liaoning on the 14th, and confirmed on the 15th that the four ships were heading toward the South China Sea.

This is not the first time this year the Liaoning has passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island. According to a Joint Staff announcement on June 23, the Liaoning, together with a Renhai-class destroyer (104) and a Luyang III-class destroyer (124), was sailing northwest in waters about 130 km east of Miyako Island at around midnight on June 20 before passing between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island into the East China Sea. The same ships had earlier sailed in the Pacific on May 25, conducted carrier-based fighter and helicopter takeoffs and landings from May 26 to 28, and sailed southeast in waters east of the Philippines on May 29.

The announcement on the 20th then disclosed the movement of two other ships. The MSDF detected a Luyang III-class destroyer (121) and a Fuyu-class fast combat support ship (901) sailing southeast in waters about 140 km west of Kuchinoerabu Island at around 11 p.m. on Friday the 16th. The two ships passed east through the Osumi Strait on the 17th into the Pacific. The MSDF continued to monitor the two ships, the Joint Staff said.

Chinese ships moved back and forth through the waters between the Japanese islands throughout the summer. According to a Joint Staff announcement on July 8, a Jiangkai II-class frigate (599) passed southeast between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island on June 26, and a Luyang II-class destroyer (153) passed east through the Osumi Strait on June 29. The two ships were sailing west in waters about 50 km northeast of Amami Oshima Island at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, before passing between Amami Oshima and Yokoate Island into the East China Sea. According to a Joint Staff announcement on August 26, at around 5 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, a Luyang III-class destroyer (159) and a Jiangkai II-class frigate (537) from waters about 90 km southwest of Kume Island, and a Luyang III-class destroyer (133) and a Jiangkai II-class frigate (535) from waters about 70 km west of Kume Island, each came south, passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island and went out into the Pacific. The same four ships returned on Tuesday, September 15. Ships 159 and 537 were detected at around 7 a.m. in waters about 50 km southeast of Cape Toi and then passed west through the Osumi Strait into the East China Sea, while 133 and 535 were detected at around 10 a.m. in waters about 100 km northeast of Amami Oshima Island and then passed between Amami Oshima and Yokoate Island into the East China Sea, the Joint Staff said on September 18.

Russian IL-20 intelligence-gathering aircraft also flew over East Sea on the 17th

Chinese aircraft were not the only ones flying around Japan. The Joint Staff said in a separate announcement on the 23rd that one Russian IL-20 intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over the East Sea from the morning to the afternoon of the 17th, prompting ASDF fighters to scramble. The document was titled "Russian aircraft activity around Japan," and the disclosure came six days after the flight.

IL-20 flights over the East Sea have also been repeated this year. The first-half scramble document also listed as features of the first half "flights in the direction of the East Sea and the Pacific by Russian IL-20 intelligence-gathering aircraft" and "long-distance joint flights by Chinese H-6 bombers and Russian Tu-95 bombers." The document lists IL-20 flights on April 7, May 21, May 22, July 24, July 27, August 10, August 11, August 21, September 5 and September 25, among others, as examples. On May 22, July 24 and September 5, there were also flights going back and forth from the East Sea toward the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific. There were also China-Russia joint flights. According to the document, on June 27 Chinese bombers and other aircraft that had flown from the East China Sea to the East Sea joined up with Russian bombers and other aircraft over the East Sea and then flew together as far as the East China Sea. Russian bombers and other aircraft coming from the East Sea then joined up with Chinese bombers and other aircraft over the East China Sea, passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island and flew together over a long distance to the Pacific off Shikoku. The participating aircraft listed in the document were two Chinese H-6 bombers and J-16 fighters, and two Russian Tu-95 bombers, two Tu-142 patrol aircraft and one Su-35 fighter. On July 21, one Russian Tu-95 bomber and one Su-35 fighter flew over the East Sea.

Long-distance joint flights by Chinese and Russian bombers are not new. Uchikura, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, said at an April news conference that in December 2025 as well, "bombers of the Chinese and Russian militaries conducted a long-distance joint flight over the Pacific as far as off Shikoku."

ASDF scrambles in first half total 442, up 177 from a year earlier

According to the Joint Staff, ASDF scrambles in the first half of fiscal 2026 (April 1 to September 30) numbered 442, up 177 from 265 in the same period a year earlier. Of these, 285 were against Chinese aircraft (198 a year earlier) and 152 against Russian aircraft (59). There were 0 against North Korean aircraft and 5 others (8). By air defense force, the Southwestern Air Defense Force had the most with 201 (189 a year earlier), while the Western Air Defense Force had 102, up sharply from 14 a year earlier.

According to the document's year-by-year table, scrambles numbered 778 in FY2022, 669 in FY2023, 704 in FY2024 and 595 in FY2025. Uchikura, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, said at an April 17 news conference that scrambles in FY2025 "reached a total of 595, continuing to remain at a high level." The chief of staff said the SDF, while strengthening coordination with allies and like-minded countries, "will continue to do its utmost in vigilance and surveillance and will rigorously carry out measures against airspace violations." Regarding Chinese drones, the chief of staff said "in FY2025, 16 disclosures were made," explaining that this was 7 fewer than the previous fiscal year. At the same news conference, asked about figures presented by a reporter on scrambles against Russian aircraft (174 in FY2023, 237 in FY2024 and 214 in FY2025), the chief of staff replied: "as for the trend, it is as you asked." The reporter noted that scrambles against Chinese aircraft in FY2025 numbered 366, nearly 100 fewer than the previous fiscal year, and asked whether this was due to changes in Chinese activity or changes in SDF operations. The chief of staff declined to answer, saying it was "difficult to say definitively" how Chinese military activity relates to the number of scrambles, on the grounds that doing so "would reveal our hand in how we respond."

In October as well, disclosures of Y-9, drone and carrier group activity around Japan came one after another within a week. Defense Minister Koizumi, asked about structures in a Chinese desert at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting on the 23rd, said the ministry would refrain from assessing individual items, including the case raised, but said it is a fact that China is expanding and intensifying its military activities around Japan, stating that "it is a fact that China is expanding and intensifying its military activities around our country". Koizumi went on to say such Chinese military trends are a serious concern for Japan and the international community, and that Japan will watch them with strong interest while responding calmly and resolutely.

Sources (KST)

• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-23 · Event Summary/Chinese Military Activities: Chinese aircraft activity around Japan (10/20 one Y-9 patrol aircraft and one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261023_01e.pdf
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• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-23 · Event Summary/Russian Military Activities (10/17 IL-20) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261023_04e.pdf
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