🔗 Share this article

Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to respond "calmly and resolutely" following reports that Chinese military jets locked their radar onto Japanese fighter jets south-east of Okinawa's main island during the weekend.

An Serious Aerial Encounter Reported

According to Japan's defence ministry, China's J-15 fighter aircraft from the carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar against Japanese F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again about later. The ministry noted that a visual sighting was not possible due to the range involved, adding that there was no damage or injuries were reported.

"It marked an unprecedented instance Japan's defence ministry has disclosed an event of this nature," a report noted. Military aircraft commonly use radar to target identification.

Diplomatic Objection and Denials

In response to the allegations, China's navy released a statement rejecting the report as "totally contrary to reality." The statement demanded Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Conversely, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near its training zones. The Chinese statement made no reference to a radar lock-on.

An official for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later urged Tokyo to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing our normal military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Regional Background

Ties between China and Japan have soured markedly in recent weeks. This cooling came after Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if the situation posed an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Japan could invoke its legal authority to collective defense, meaning assisting a partner under attack. She stated that her country had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." Subsequently, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "strong protest" and demanded the Chinese government to "ensure that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Disputes

Japan and China have a long-running sovereignty disagreement over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islets are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo is deepening cooperation with the US and its partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where several countries have similar territorial and maritime disagreements with Beijing.

Beijing, for its part, maintains vast territorial claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.