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Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, committed to respond "calmly and resolutely" following accusations that People's Liberation Army jets targeted with fire-control radar Japanese F-15s south-east of Okinawa's primary island during the weekend.

An Dangerous Incident Reported

Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 jets operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated their targeting radar against Japanese F-15s twice last Saturday. The first incident took place at 1632 hours and was repeated about two hours. Officials stated that a visual sighting could not be obtained due to the range involved, adding that no damage or casualties occurred.

"It marked the first time the Japanese Ministry of Defense has reported an event of this nature," a report stated. Fighter jets routinely employ radar systems for tracking purposes.

Official Objection and Counter-Claims

Reacting to the allegations, the Chinese military issued a declaration dismissing the report as "totally contrary to the facts." The statement urged Japan to "cease making false accusations." Conversely, China claimed that Japanese SDF aircraft had "seriously endangered flight safety" by consistently approaching China's exercise areas. Beijing made no reference to a radar lock-on.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry later urged Tokyo to "immediately stop its provocative actions of harassing our normal drills and exercises."

Rising Tensions and Broader Background

Relations linking China and Tokyo have soured markedly over the past month. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if the situation presented an extreme danger to the nation.

Takaichi insisted that Tokyo could invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, which involves assisting an ally. The Prime Minister emphasized that Japan had to "anticipate a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in the following day.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and urged the Chinese government to "guarantee that such acts are not repeated."

Longstanding Disputes

The two nations have a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. The tiny, uninhabited islets are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions continue. Tokyo has been strengthening cooperation with the US and other partners in the Indo-Pacific area, where several nations have similar maritime) disputes with Beijing.

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