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Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to act "in a composed yet firm manner" following claims that Chinese military jets acquired a radar lock on Japan's F-15s southeast of Okinawa's primary island during the past weekend.

An Concerning Incident Disclosed

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated their fire-control radar against Japan's F-15s on two occasions last Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about two hours. Officials stated that visual confirmation could not be obtained due to the range involved, adding that no damage or casualties were reported.

"This was the first time the Japanese defence ministry has disclosed such an incident," a report stated. Fighter jets commonly employ radar systems for tracking purposes.

Diplomatic Objection and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, the Chinese military released a declaration rejecting the report as "completely inconsistent with reality." It urged Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing asserted that Japanese SDF planes had "seriously endangered flight safety" by consistently flying near its exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention a radar lock-on.

An official for China's foreign ministry subsequently called on Tokyo to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of interfering with China's routine drills and exercises."

Rising Strains and Broader Background

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have worsened significantly in recent weeks. The downturn followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the deployment of Japan's military should such a conflict presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Tokyo had the right to exercise its right to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. The Prime Minister stated that Japan had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled the encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." In a diplomatic move, China's envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned on Sunday.

A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "formal complaint" and urged Beijing to "guarantee that similar actions are not repeated."

Enduring Disputes

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

Additionally, broader geopolitical tensions continue. Tokyo has been strengthening cooperation with the US and other partners in the Asia-Pacific area, a region where a number of nations have their own territorial and maritime disagreements with China.

Beijing, in turn, maintains vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, a posture that has drawn criticism and legal challenges.