ISTANBUL

China on Sunday denied Japan's claim that a Chinese coast guard helicopter entered its airspace near the contested Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, instead accusing Japan of provoking the situation with a civilian aircraft, Kyodo News reported.

The Senkaku Islands— referred to as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan— are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea administered by Japan but also claimed by China.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said the alleged incursion occurred Saturday, when a Chinese coast guard helicopter reportedly flew over the islands for about 15 minutes. The aircraft was operating from one of four Chinese vessels detected within Japan’s territorial waters at the time.

Following the incident, Japan’s Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai, summoned the Chinese Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission to express "strong protest" and "strongly urged" against the recurrence of such actions, said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

In return, Liu Jinsong, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, protested to the Japanese Embassy, labeling Japan's civilian aircraft as "right-wing" and accusing Japan of violating airspace over the disputed islands.

Liu called on Japan to stop its "illegal activities" and take steps to prevent further incidents. In response, Akira Yokochi, the chief minister at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, reiterated Tokyo's protest, urging China to cease airspace violations.

Liu told Yokochi that China would firmly protect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, according to the Chinese Ministry.

Saturday’s incident marked the fourth time Beijing had intruded into Japanese airspace, the Japanese Ministry stated.