Japan scrambles fighter jets as Chinese plane near disputed islands

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled its fighter jets after a Chinese government plane flew near the Japanese airspace around disputed islands in the East China Sea, the Defense Ministry said. The Chinese aircraft did not enter the Japanese territory. "Chinese military vessels have frequently sailed around the waters. But this is the first time since February that the ministry announced the approach by China State Oceanic Administration's the Y-12 plane to the area. Japan and China are at odds in a dispute over the sovereignty of the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. The Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan, are claimed by the three countries. The small chain of uninhabited rocky islands lie in rich fishing grounds and waters thought to contain large deposits of oil and natural gas. Relations between the world's second and third-largest economies have sharply deteriorated since Tokyo's nationalization of three of the five major islands in September 2012 through purchase from a private Japanese owner. The Chinese government ships have repeatedly entered the waters around the islands since Tokyo's acquisition of the islets.