Japan scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese military reconnaissance drones flew through the strategic corridor between Okinawa and Miyako Island on Monday 2 November, according to Japan's Ministry of Defense.

The two WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance drones were detected flying from the East China Sea into the Philippine Sea through the gap separating Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island. Japan's Air Self-Defense Force deployed fighter aircraft from its Southwestern Air Defense Command to monitor the movements. The Joint Staff released photographs of the aircraft alongside a flight-path diagram, and said it was unclear whether the two sorties involved the same aircraft or two separate airframes.

According to the Joint Staff announcement, the first WZ-7 approached from the East China Sea between the morning and afternoon, reached the Pacific, flew over waters south of Miyako Island and south of Okinawa's main island, then crossed the same corridor again on its way back towards the Chinese mainland. A second flight followed a similar route later that afternoon. Japanese authorities did not report a violation of Japan's territorial airspace during the flights.

Second drone flight days later

The activity was followed by another Chinese unmanned aircraft flight on Thursday 5 November, when a TB-001 reconnaissance drone operated over the East China Sea, reaching waters south-west of the Danjo Islands before changing course north-west of Okinawa and returning towards China. Japanese fighter jets were also scrambled in response to that flight.

The Miyako Strait is a strategically important passage connecting the East China Sea with the wider Pacific Ocean, frequently used by Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft. The flights took place while the Chinese Navy's Liaoning carrier strike group was conducting open-ocean training in the Western Pacific. Beijing's Global Times described the flights as "completely normal".