The rattle of Okinawa: Chinese drones probe Japan’s defences

They came without warning, flying over waters near Japan last week: two Chinese drones, one a reconnaissance model and the other a sleek attack drone.

For Tokyo, it was not just a test of its air defences but a preview of the future, analysts say, as Beijing seeks to normalise its military presence in the region while testing Japan’s response.

Last Wednesday, two Chinese drones – a BZK-005 reconnaissance model and, for the first time, a Chengdu GJ-2 reconnaissance and attack drone – were tracked slipping through the airspace between Okinawa and Miyako Island, before entering the Pacific.

The Japan Air Self-Defence Force scrambled fighter jets to shadow the drones, which flew south of Okinawa towards Amami Oshima before reversing course and retreating to the East China Sea. The drones never breached Japanese territorial airspace, but their presence was enough to stir concern in Tokyo.

A BZK-005E model reconnaissance drone is seen at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2018. Photo: Dickson Lee

“We will continue to monitor developments in the airspace surrounding Japan with strong interest and will take all possible measures to conduct surveillance,” a spokesman for the Defence Ministry’s Joint Staff Office told reporters.