Japan says Chinese fighter jets risked collision after close encounter over Pacific

Photo from Japan's defence ministry shows a Chinese fighter jet making an unusual approach to a Japanese patrol aircraft conducting surveillance over the Pacific - (Japan's Ministry of Defence)

Japan said Chinese fighter jets risked a collision with one of its surveillance planes during a close encounter over the Pacific.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Japanese defence ministry said a P-3C patrol plane monitoring China’s Shandong aircraft carrier over the weekend was followed by a pair of J-15 fighters. The jets, which took off from the carrier, tailed the military surveillance aircraft for 40 minutes and 80 minutes, respectively.