Japan has asked the world body that regulates air travel to take action after China's declaration of an air-defence identification zone in the East China Sea.
With backing from the US, Britain and Australia, Japanese envoys met with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is based in Montreal, Canada.
Friction has been rising since Beijing told the world a week ago to register whenever it sends planes through a region that includes the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands. The islands were declared part of an air-defence identification zone (ADIZ).
The US, Japan and South Korea sent military jets to criss-cross the zone to show they reject the Chinese declaration. The islands lie near oil and gas reserves and are claimed by China as the Diaoyu and by Taiwan as the Tiaoyutai islands.
Japan said the ICAO should become involved because China's actions may threaten security and order in civil aviation. The Japanese news agency Kyodo said China was strongly opposed to ICAO intervention.
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Japan told its own commercial airlines on Wednesday not to comply with the Chinese demand. But the US government advised its civilian airlines on the same day to comply, it has since emerged.
"The US government generally expects that US carriers operating internationally will operate consistent with NOTAMs (notices to airmen) issued by foreign countries," the US State Department wrote in the statement posted on Friday on its website.
But it added that this "expectation ... does not indicate US government acceptance of China's requirements."
Japan said earlier this week that its commercial airlines were flying through the zone without any problems, even after they ceased to provide flight plans to China.
China said its air force is on "high alert" and would take measures to "deal with diverse air threats" in its airspace.
It sent fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft to monitor two flights made by US military planes and 10 by Japanese military aircraft.
US military flights routinely cross the area and will continue to do so, a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday.
