China Blames Air Current for Japan Airspace Intrusion

Tokyo, Nov. 19 (Jiji Press)--China has admitted that its military aircraft intruded into Japanese airspace in August, while claiming that it was due to an air current, Japanese foreign and defense ministry officials said Tuesday.

The Chinese side attributed the incident to a technical problem, denying that it was intentional, and vowed to work to prevent a recurrence, according to the officials.

The Defense Ministry side declined to comment on whether the Chinese side's explanations were reasonable, although it noted that the weather at the time was unlikely to have a major impact on the flight.

Emphasizing the fact that the Chinese side admitted the airspace intrusion and promised preventive efforts, the two Japanese ministries plan to continue closely monitoring Chinese activities. They maintain the Japanese government's position that the incident was a serious violation of Japanese sovereignty.

The incident, which occurred off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Aug. 26, was the first intrusion by a Chinese military plane into Japanese airspace.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]