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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, committed to act "with calm determination" after reports that Chinese military jets locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s southeast of Okinawa's main island during the weekend.

An Dangerous Aerial Encounter Reported

As stated by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, China's J-15 fighter aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged their targeting radar on Japan's F-15s twice last Saturday. This occurred happened at 1632 hours and occurred again approximately two hours. Officials stated that a visual sighting was not possible due to the range involved, and confirmed that no damage or casualties resulted.

"This was the first time Japan's defence ministry has made public an event of this nature," one news agency noted. Military aircraft routinely use radar for search and rescue.

Diplomatic Protest and Denials

Reacting to the allegations, China's navy issued a declaration dismissing the report as "completely inconsistent with the facts." The statement demanded Japan to "cease slandering and smearing." Conversely, Beijing claimed that Japan's SDF planes had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly approaching its training zones. The Chinese statement did not mention any radar targeting.

An official for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later called on Tokyo to "halt its dangerous moves of interfering with our normal military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Broader Context

Relations linking China and Japan have worsened significantly over the past month. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the deployment of Japanese Self-Defense Forces should the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Tokyo had the right to exercise its right to collective defense, which involves coming to the aid of a partner under attack. She stated that Japan had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described Saturday's radar incident as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned the following day.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "strong protest" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that such acts do not recur."

Enduring Disputes

The two nations have a protracted territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which are known as the Diaoyu in China. The small, uninhabited islets are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions continue. Tokyo is deepening military and strategic ties with American and other partners in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where a number of countries have similar territorial and maritime disagreements with China.

Beijing, for its part, asserts extensive sovereignty claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.