Japan says fighter jets scrambled when Chinese drone spotted near southern island near Taiwan

Tokyo — Japan said Monday it had sent planes after detecting a suspected Chinese drone on Saturday near its southern island of Yonaguni, near Taiwan, as tension between Asian adversaries spiked.

On Sunday, Chinese coast guard ships spent several hours in Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in China and a frequent flashpoint, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.

The incidents came amid growing tension between neighbors over comments by Japan’s new staunchly conservative leader, who suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily at any time. hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.

Beijing insists that Taiwan, which Japan occupied for decades until its 1945 defeat in World War II, is part of its territory, and the prime minister’s comments have sparked outrage among Chinese officials.

Japanese leader’s controversial comments on China and Taiwan

Before taking power last month, Prime Minister Senae Takaichi64, was an outspoken critic of China and its military development in the Asia-Pacific.

If an emergency in Taiwan involves “battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation that threatens (Japan’s) survival,” he told parliament on Nov. 7. Under Japan’s self-imposed internal rules, an existential threat is one of the few cases in which it can act militarily. Taiwan is located about 60 miles from the nearest Japanese island.

In response to Takaichi’s comments, a Chinese diplomat stationed in Japan threatened to “cut that dirty throat,” apparently referring to Takaichi, as China and Japan summoned their respective ambassadors.

In Beijing, tech worker Daniel Feng called the Chinese government’s responses “very moderate” given Takaichi’s “extremely unreasonable” comments.

“If she says words, there is no problem… but if they really act, our country’s army will definitely defeat them,” the 40-year-old woman told News.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Monday called on Beijing to “show restraint, act as a great power and not become a troublemaker” in the Asia-Pacific region, where peace and stability have been “severely impacted.”

“China should return to the path of a rules-based international order, which would help maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Lai told reporters.

Meanwhile, Beijing said Chinese Premier Li Qiang had no plans to meet Takaichi at the G20 summit in South Africa later this week, which they will both attend.

A Japanese government official told News that Masaaki Kanai, the Foreign Ministry’s top official for Asia-Pacific affairs, arrived in China on Monday.

“We try not to aggravate the situation,” the official told News.

Economic impact as Asian economic giants fight

Beijing also warned its citizens over the weekend To avoid traveling to Japan.and warned the approximately 100,000 Chinese students in the country that there were alleged risks to their safety.

Chief of Staff Kihara told reporters on Monday that the announcements were “incompatible with the broader direction agreed upon by the leaders of the two nations.”

Japanese tourism and retail stocks plunged on Monday after China urged its citizens to avoid tourist hotspots in the neighboring nation.

Asia’s two major economies are closely intertwined, with China being the largest source of tourists (nearly 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025) coming to Japan.

Lured by a weak yen that makes shopping cheaper, they collectively squandered more than $1 billion a month in the third quarter, representing nearly 30% of all tourist spending.

Japan was also the fourth most popular destination for Chinese tourists last year, helping the land of Mount Fuji, sushi and geisha set new records for foreign arrivals. But fearing this could now stop, investors wiped 9% off the market value of Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido on Monday.

Department store group Mitsukoshi fell 11.3% and Pan Pacific, behind discount retail chain and tourist magnet Don Quijote, fell 5.3%.

Japan Airlines, whose shares fell 3.4%, has not suffered major cancellations of flights to and from China, a spokesperson told News.