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... In a release this week, the MOD stated that J-15 fighter aircraft from Shandong shadowed and carried out unusual maneuvers toward the JMSDF P-3C Orions carrying out surveillance operations on Saturday and Sunday over the Pacific Ocean (Japan does not use the Philippine Sea name, referring to it instead as the Pacific Ocean).

On Saturday, a J-15 fighter shadowed a P-3C for 40 minutes, and an unusual approach to the P-3C came within 45 meters of the Japanese surveillance aircraft. On Sunday, a J-15 fighter shadowed a P-3C for 80 minutes and during that time an incident occurred where the J-15 fighter jet crossed approximately 900 meters ahead of the P-3C patrol aircraft's course.

The release included two photographs of the J-15 from Sunday's incident, "This unusual approach by Chinese military aircraft could potentially lead to an accidental collision, and we have expressed serious concern and strongly requested that this incident not be repeated," reads the release, which stated no damage to Japanese aircraft or personnel occurred.

The JMSDF P-3C Orions belong to Air Patrol Squadron 5 of Fleet Air Wing 5 based at Naha Air Base, Okinawa as Japan had earlier disclosed that the unit was shadowing the Shandong Carrier Strike Group. JMSDF ships and aircraft regularly shadow Chinese and Russian ships operating around Japan while Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighters intercept and escort Chinese and Russian aircraft flying in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Japan officially disclosed on Monday that it had been shadowing the Shandong CSG since Saturday. Both the Shandong and Liaoning CSGs have been operating simultaneously in the Western Pacific since the weekend with the PLAN confirming the deployment on Tuesday. ...