June 12 (UPI) -- Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday a Chinese J-15 fighter jet's "abnormal approaches" brought it within 147 feet of Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance planes over the past weekend.
There were two close calls that came within a short enough distance to risk collision and the delay in publicly announcing them was to analyze what happened.
"The government has raised serious concerns with the Chinese side, including to the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, through the vice minister of foreign affairs, and has strongly urged them to prevent such incidents from recurring," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a Thursday news conference.
The Chinese warplane came from the aircraft carrier Shandong.
It passed in front of an MSDF P-3C jet within a distance of about 984 yards.
