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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, committed to act "with calm determination" after claims that People's Liberation Army jets acquired a radar lock on Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's main island over the weekend.

An Serious Aerial Encounter Disclosed

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

"It marked an unprecedented instance Japan's defence ministry has disclosed such an incident," a report noted. Fighter jets commonly employ radar systems for search and rescue.

Official Objection and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, China's military released a declaration rejecting the report as "completely inconsistent with the facts." The statement urged Tokyo to "cease slandering and smearing." Conversely, Beijing claimed that Japan's SDF planes had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by consistently approaching China's training zones. Beijing did not mention any radar targeting.

An official for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently called on Tokyo to "immediately stop its provocative actions of harassing China's routine military exercise and training."

Rising Strains and Regional Background

Relations linking Beijing and Tokyo have deteriorated significantly over the past month. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan could trigger the dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces should such a conflict posed an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Tokyo could invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of a partner under attack. The Prime Minister stated that Japan had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's radar incident as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." Subsequently, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned the following day.

Japan's vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "strong protest" and urged the Chinese government to "guarantee that such acts are not repeated."

Enduring Disputes

The two nations have a long-running territorial dispute over a group of islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These small, uninhabited islets are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, regional frictions persist. Tokyo is strengthening cooperation with the US and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where several countries have similar territorial and maritime disputes with China.

Beijing, in turn, maintains vast sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, activities that has drawn criticism and legal challenges.