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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, committed to respond "in a composed yet firm manner" following claims that Chinese military aircraft acquired a radar lock on Japanese F-15s southeast of Okinawa's main island over the past weekend.

An Dangerous Aerial Encounter Disclosed

Per the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 jets from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar against Japanese F-15s twice on Saturday. The first incident happened at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about later. Officials noted that a visual sighting was not possible due to the range involved, adding that no damage or casualties resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance Japan's Ministry of Defense has made public an event of this nature," a report noted. Fighter jets routinely employ radar systems to search and rescue.

Diplomatic Protest and Counter-Claims

In response to the allegations, China's military issued a statement rejecting the report as "completely inconsistent with the facts." The statement demanded Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, China claimed that Japan's Self-Defense Forces planes had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near China's training zones. Beijing made no reference to any radar targeting.

An official for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later urged Japan to "immediately stop its provocative actions of harassing our normal drills and exercises."

Rising Tensions and Broader Context

Ties linking Beijing and Tokyo have worsened markedly over the past month. The downturn came after PM Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan could lead to the deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if such a conflict presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Tokyo had the right to exercise its right to collective self-defence, meaning coming to the aid of a partner under attack. She emphasized that her country had to "prepare for the most severe possibilities" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." In a diplomatic move, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

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

Longstanding Points of Contention

Japan and China are also locked in a long-running sovereignty disagreement over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu by Beijing. The small, unoccupied islands are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo has been deepening cooperation with American and other partners in the Asia-Pacific region, a region where several nations are engaged in similar territorial and maritime disputes with China.

Beijing, for its part, maintains extensive territorial claims in adjacent seas, activities that has drawn international concern.