Japanese defense officials said on Thursday that a Chinese fighter jet had flown abnormally close to a Japanese military plane over international waters in the Pacific Ocean last weekend, raising concerns about China’s growing military actions in the region.

日本防卫省官员周四表示，一架中国战斗机上周末曾与一架在太平洋国际水域上空的日本军机异常接近，引发人们对中国在该地区的军事行动日益频繁的担忧。

Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that a Chinese J-15 fighter jet had made a peculiar approach to a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft conducting surveillance over the Pacific.

日本防卫省周四在声明中表示，一架中国歼-15战斗机非正常地逼近一架正在太平洋上空执行侦察任务的日本P-3C巡逻机。

The Chinese jet flew as close as 150 feet next to the Japanese plane on Saturday, and cut in front within 3,000 feet of the nose on Sunday, introducing the likelihood of a crash, the Defense Ministry said.

防卫省表示，该中国战斗机上周六与日本飞机的最近距离只有约45米，周日又从日机前方约900米处掠过，引发意外碰撞的风险。

The Chinese fighter jet had originated from the Shandong, one of the two aircraft carriers that China had sent into the Pacific Ocean last weekend to conduct exercises, the first the carriers had done together so far from the Chinese coast. The exercises displayed Beijing’s growing military reach.

这架中国战斗机来自山东舰，中国上周末出动两艘航母前往太平洋进行演习，山东舰是其中一艘。这是中国航母首次在距离本土海岸如此之远的水域举行联合演习，显示出北京日益增长的军事影响力。

“Japan expressed a serious concern and requested a prevention of reoccurrence of such incidents as it could trigger accidental collisions,” Gen Nakatani, Japan’s defense minister, said in a security committee meeting at the Diet, as Japan’s Parliament is known.

“日本对此表示严重关切，并要求防止此类事件再次发生，因其可能引发意外碰撞，”日本防卫大臣中谷元在日本国会举行的安全委员会会议上说。

Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of Japan’s joint staff, told reporters on Thursday that he was concerned about the possibility of a collision between the Chinese jet, which appeared to be equipped with missiles, and the Japanese patrol aircraft.

日本统合幕僚长吉田圭秀上将周四对记者称，他对中国战机与日本巡逻机发生碰撞的可能性表示担忧，该中国战机疑似装备了导弹。

Gen. Yoshida said that it was difficult to judge the intention behind the Chinese jet’s maneuvers and whether they were a threat. He said he was wary of the broader trend of China’s increased and expanded military activities, stating that the Chinese military had been making unusual maneuvers “intermittently and continuously.”

吉田圭秀说，难以判断中国战机这种行动的背后意图，以及它们是否构成威胁。他说，他已注意到一个总体趋势，即中国不断增加和扩大军事活动，并指出中国军方已在“间歇地和持续地”做异常动作。

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said on Thursday that the two countries’ defense ministries were in communication over the near misses. But he suggested that Japan was at fault and defended China’s activity in the airspace.

中国外交部发言人林剑周四表示，两国的国防部正就险些发生碰撞的问题保持沟通。但他暗示问题出在日方，并为中国在该空域的活动进行了辩护。

“Let me stress that the close maneuvers of the Japanese airplanes against China is the fundamental reason of such a situation,” Mr. Lin said at a news conference in Beijing. “We hope that Japan will view the activities objectively and rationally.”

“需要强调的是，日本舰机对中国正常军事活动进行抵近侦察，是造成海空安全风险的根源，”林剑在北京的例行记者会上说。“中方敦促日方客观理性地看待中方的活动。”

In another aerial encounter involving the Chinese military, a Chinese fighter jet flew within 20 feet of an American military aircraft over the South China Sea in 2022, which the U.S. military said had nearly caused a collision.

与中国军队有关的空中相遇事件以前也发生过。2022年，一架中国战斗机曾在南中国海上空飞至距一架美国军机机头约六米的范围内，美军称这个行动险些导致两机相撞。

A crash involving a Chinese military plane was fatal in 2001, when a U.S. Navy surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. The crash killed the Chinese pilot and forced the American plane to make an emergency landing in China.

2001年，一架中国战斗机曾在南中国海上空与一架美国海军侦察机相撞，导致中国战机坠毁，中国飞行员死亡，美国侦察机被迫在中国紧急迫降。