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TOKYO — Close US ally Japan said it scrambled fighter jets on Monday after a Chinese military aircraft "violated" its airspace in a further escalation of regional tensions. The two-minute incursion into Japanese airspace by the Y-9 surveillance aircraft at 11:29 am (0229 GMT) was the first by a Chinese military plane, local media reported. The aircraft "violated the territorial airspace off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture," prompting Japan to deploy "fighter jets on an emergency basis," Japan's defense ministry said. It said steps such as "issuing warnings" to the aircraft were taken. Broadcaster NHK reported that no weapons, such as flare guns, were used as an alert. The defense ministry released a photograph of what it said was the plane. Deputy foreign minister Masataka Okano summoned China's acting ambassador late on Monday and "lodged firm protest," as well as calling for measures against a recurrence, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The Chinese diplomat said in response that the matter would be reported to Beijing, according to the ministry. There was no immediate official comment from Beijing.
