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Japan's leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "with calm determination" after claims that Chinese military jets locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s south-east of the primary island during the weekend.

A Dangerous Incident Disclosed

Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 jets from the carrier Liaoning activated its fire-control radar against 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 due to the distance, and confirmed that there was no damage or injuries were reported.

"This was the first time Japan's defence ministry has reported such an incident," a report noted. Fighter jets routinely use radar to search and rescue.

Official Objection and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, the Chinese military released a statement dismissing the report as "totally contrary to reality." The statement urged Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces planes had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by repeatedly flying near its training zones. The Chinese statement made no reference to a radar lock-on.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry later called on Japan to "immediately stop its provocative actions of harassing our routine military exercise and training."

Rising Strains and Regional Context

Relations between China and Tokyo have soured significantly in recent weeks. This cooling followed PM Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan could trigger the dispatch of Japanese military should the situation presented an extreme danger to the nation.

Takaichi argued that Tokyo could invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, meaning assisting a partner under attack. The Prime Minister stated 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 "dangerous and extremely regrettable." In a diplomatic move, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned the following day.

Japan's vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and demanded the Chinese government to "ensure that such acts do not recur."

Enduring Points of Contention

Japan and China have a long-running sovereignty disagreement over the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu in China. The tiny, unoccupied islands are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, regional frictions persist. Japan has been deepening cooperation with the US and its partners in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where a number of countries have similar maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

China, in turn, asserts extensive sovereignty claims in adjacent seas, activities that has prompted international concern.