China’s WZ-7 High-Altitude Reconnaissance Drone Flights Near Okinawa Put Japan’s Air Defenses on High Alert

Japan scrambled fighters after detecting two Chinese WZ-7 reconnaissance-drone flights through the corridor between Okinawa and Miyako Island on November 2. The aircraft flew from the East China Sea into the Pacific, operated south of Japan's southwestern islands and returned toward the Chinese mainland along the same passage. Japanese authorities described separate morning-to-afternoon and afternoon activity, with aircraft from the Southwestern Air Defense Force responding to monitor the flights. The WZ-7 is a high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance platform, allowing reconnaissance over maritime areas beyond the immediate reach of shorter-range tactical drones.