ANKARA

Japan and China did not use a defense hotline during a recent alleged airspace breach, Japanese media claimed in a report Wednesday.

The two Asian neighbors began a hotline in May 2023 but it was not used during the alleged Chinese plane violation, Tokyo-based Kyodo News Agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.

On Aug. 26, Japan said that a Chinese military spy plane violated its airspace for the first time as it reportedly entered Japanese airspace above the waters in the East China Sea, near islands in the southwestern province of Nagasaki.

Japan’s Defense Ministry again claimed on Saturday that a Chinese Navy survey ship entered its territorial waters off its southwestern islands.

The two countries only used the communication line once during the incidents. It was also not used in July when a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer temporarily sailed into Chinese territorial waters.

Not using the hotline created doubts about its effectiveness during crisis management, according to the report.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday said, however, that the direct telephone line between the defense departments enriched communication.

"The establishment and activation of a direct telephone line for maritime and air liaison mechanism between the defense departments of #China and #Japan has enriched communication channels between the two defense departments, strengthened crisis management capabilities in maritime and air sphere, and it will also contribute to further maintaining regional peace and stability," the Global Times newspaper quoted Mao.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid