“Six of the Chinese aircrafts flew over open seas between the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako, about 1,700 kilometers south-west of Tokyo, on Friday morning, Jiji Press cited Defense Ministry officials as saying,” DPA agency reported.
“It was the first such flight by Chinese military planes since July, and there was no incursion into Japanese airspace,” DPA agency reported.
Four other H-6 bombers and a Y-8 aircraft returned to China without flying between the Japanese islands.
Tensions rose on Okinawa Island just last week after the Japanese government decided to sue the Okinawan governor for stopping a US army base relocation project.
Earlier, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, vehemently opposed the relocation of the Futenma US base and threatened to sue the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Though local people and politicians have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the relocation of the controversial US army base on Okinawa to another area of the island, the Japanese government continues to ignore them Shinsaku Nohira, spokesman for the Peace Boat NGO, told Radio Sputnik on Tuesday.
More than half of the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan are based in Okinawa, and local people are opposed to their presence due to the high number of crimes committed by US military personnel living in the area.
