Japan’s Self-Defense Forces intercepted China’s newest anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the first time as it flew near Japanese waters.
The Joint Staff of Japan’s Ministry of Defense said fighter aircraft were scrambled on March 28 after a Chinese Y-9 patrol aircraft was detected over the East China Sea, near the edge of Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The aircraft spotted by Japan is believed to be the Y-9FQ, an upgraded version of the earlier Y-9 maritime patrol aircraft known as the Y-8Q, which entered service in 2015. The aircraft was first publicly displayed during a Beijing military parade in September 2025.
Close up of the 🇨🇳 PLANAF Y-9FQ (High New 15) 91 #7A438B from the 80th Victory Day Parade in Beijing Wednesday. https://t.co/9Dy73nuzuT pic.twitter.com/1YB21S5Vgh
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) September 6, 2025
“The aircraft confirmed on this occasion has a different nose shape compared to previous aircraft, and this is the first time that the Self-Defense Forces have confirmed and announced an aircraft of this type,” the ministry noted.
令和8年3月28日(土)、東シナ海を飛行した中国軍の哨戒機(Y-9)×１機に対して、航空自衛隊の南西航空方面隊の戦闘機が #緊急発進 して対応しました。… pic.twitter.com/EsvrqZWaNO
— 防衛省統合幕僚監部 (@jointstaffpa) March 30, 2026
Reports say the Y-9FQ is equipped with systems designed to track submarines. These reportedly include a magnetic anomaly detector mounted on a long tail boom, as well as upgraded radar and electronic surveillance systems.
Japanese F-15 fighters, likely deployed from Nyutabaru Air Base, were believed to have conducted the interception.
The incident follows a series of interceptions in preceding days, with Japan’s military tracking and escorting two Russian Tu-142 ASW-MR aircraft on March 27 as they transited from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Sea of Japan. Japan also reported a Russian Navy Balzam-class intelligence collection ship moving between the Tsugaru Strait and the Sea of Japan.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said such operations highlight the need for constant vigilance.
“Even at this very moment, as the world’s attention is focused on the Middle East, the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces never cease their surveillance and monitoring activities around Japan,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in a statement posted on X.
The encounter comes amid heightened Chinese and Russian military activity near Japan, including joint patrols and surveillance operations, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s warning that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially prompting a response.
Last December, Japan accused Chinese military jets of twice locking their fire-control radar onto Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force aircraft over international waters near Okinawa. Koizumi said no personnel were injured and no aircraft were damaged in the incident.
