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

A Concerning Aerial Encounter Detailed

As stated by the Japanese defence ministry, China's J-15 jets from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar on Japan's F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred took place at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about two hours. The ministry noted that a visual sighting was not possible because of the distance, adding that no damage or casualties were reported.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese defence ministry has disclosed such an incident," a report stated. Military aircraft routinely use radar to search and rescue.

Official Objection and Counter-Claims

Reacting to Tokyo's claims, China's military released a statement dismissing the report as "completely inconsistent with reality." It urged Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing asserted that Japan's SDF aircraft had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near China's exercise areas. Beijing made no reference to any radar targeting.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently urged Tokyo to "halt its provocative actions of harassing our normal drills and exercises."

Rising Tensions and Regional Context

Ties linking China and Tokyo have deteriorated significantly over the past month. The downturn followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces should such a conflict presented an existential threat to Japan.

She argued that Japan had the right to invoke its right to collective defense, meaning assisting a partner under attack. She emphasized that Japan had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." In a diplomatic move, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in the following day.

Japan's vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "strong protest" and demanded Beijing to "ensure that similar actions do not recur."

Enduring Disputes

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

Additionally, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo has been strengthening cooperation with American and other allies in the Asia-Pacific area, a region where a number of nations have similar maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

China, for its part, maintains extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea, activities that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.