By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) - Japan Thursday "strongly" urged China to prevent a recurrence after a Chinese military aircraft and a Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) patrol plane had a near miss over international waters in the Pacific the previous day, local media reported.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tokyo has conveyed its "serious concern" to Beijing over the incident that could have led to a collision, according to the Kyodo news agency.
He added that Japan will continue to maintain communication at various levels.
A Chinese fighter jet on Wednesday had a “near miss” flight engagement with a Japanese military patrol plane over the Pacific, according to Japan's Defense Ministry.
It said that the Chinese aircraft flew as close as 45 meters (nearly 148 feet) away from a JSDF patrol plane after taking off from a moving aircraft carrier.
The plane from the aircraft carrier Shandong also carried out other dangerous maneuvers, including flying across the front of an SDF aircraft on Saturday and Sunday, the ministry said.
The incident came a day after Japan said it had sighted for the first time two Chinese carriers simultaneously sailing in the western Pacific, namely Liaoning and Shandong.
China, for its part, blamed Japan for close-in reconnaissance flights and vessel passages.
“The close-in reconnaissance conducted by Japanese vessels and aircraft against China's normal military activities is the root cause of maritime and air security risks,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.
“China urges Japan to cease such dangerous behavior,” Lin added.
*Writing by Aamir Latif