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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "with calm determination" following reports that Chinese military aircraft locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s southeast of Okinawa's primary island over the weekend.

A Dangerous Aerial Encounter Disclosed

Per Japan's Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated their targeting radar against Japanese F-15s on two occasions last Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again about later. The ministry noted that a visual sighting was not possible because of the range involved, and confirmed that no damage or injuries occurred.

"This was the first time the Japanese defence ministry has disclosed an event of this nature," one news agency stated. Military aircraft commonly employ radar systems for search and rescue.

Official Protest and Counter-Claims

In response to the allegations, China's military issued a statement rejecting them as "completely inconsistent with the facts." The statement urged Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Conversely, China claimed that Japan's Self-Defense Forces aircraft had "seriously endangered flight safety" by repeatedly flying near China's training zones. Beijing did not mention a radar lock-on.

An official for the Chinese foreign ministry later urged Japan to "halt its provocative actions of harassing China's routine military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Regional Context

Relations between Beijing and Japan have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japan's military should such a conflict presented an existential threat to the nation.

She insisted that Tokyo could exercise its legal authority to collective self-defence, meaning assisting a partner under attack. The Prime Minister emphasized that Japan had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described Saturday's radar incident as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

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

Longstanding Disputes

The two nations have a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islands lie in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional frictions persist. Tokyo is strengthening cooperation with the US and its partners in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where a number of countries have their own maritime) disputes with Beijing.

Beijing, in turn, asserts vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, a posture that has drawn criticism and legal challenges.