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Japan's leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "in a composed yet firm manner" following claims that Chinese military aircraft locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s south-east of Okinawa's primary island during the weekend.

A Serious Incident Disclosed

According to Japan's Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated their fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s twice on Saturday. This occurred happened at 1632 hours and occurred again approximately later. Officials stated that a visual sighting could not be obtained because of the distance, and confirmed that no damage or casualties were reported.

"It marked an unprecedented instance the Japanese defence ministry has reported an event of this nature," one news agency stated. Military aircraft routinely employ radar systems for tracking purposes.

Official Objection and Counter-Claims

In response to Tokyo's claims, the Chinese navy issued a declaration rejecting them as "completely inconsistent with reality." It demanded Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, China asserted that Japan's SDF aircraft had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by consistently approaching China's exercise areas. The Chinese statement made no reference to a radar lock-on.

An official for China's foreign ministry later urged Tokyo to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing China's routine military exercise and training."

Escalating Tensions and Regional Context

Relations between Beijing and Japan have worsened markedly over the past month. This cooling came after PM Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the deployment of Japan's military if the situation posed an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi argued that Tokyo had the right to invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. She stated that her country had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." Subsequently, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in the following day.

A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "formal complaint" and demanded the Chinese government to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Disputes

The two nations have a protracted territorial dispute over the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing. The tiny, unoccupied islands lie between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional tensions continue. Tokyo is deepening cooperation with American and other allies in the Indo-Pacific region, a region where several countries have similar maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

China, in turn, maintains vast territorial claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has prompted international concern.