China calls on Japan to halt entries into disputed waters

BEIJING (REUTERS) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Japan should halt entries into seas and airspace near disputed islets in the East China Sea, after Japan protested a flight over the islands by a Chinese plane.

The Chinese plane's flight, which prompted Japan's military to scramble eight F-15 fighter jets, was "completely normal", Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a regular news briefing.

Sino-Japanese relations have been strained since Japan bought the tiny islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from a private Japanese owner in September.