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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to respond "with calm determination" after claims that Chinese military aircraft acquired a radar lock on Japan's F-15s southeast of the primary island over the past weekend.

An Serious Aerial Encounter Disclosed

As stated by Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the carrier Liaoning engaged their targeting radar on Japan's F-15s on two occasions last Saturday. This occurred took place at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again approximately two hours. The ministry stated that visual confirmation could not be obtained because of the distance, adding that no damage or injuries resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has made public an event of this nature," one news agency noted. Military aircraft commonly use radar to target identification.

Diplomatic Protest and Denials

In response to the allegations, China's navy issued a statement rejecting them as "completely inconsistent with the facts." It urged Japan to "immediately stop slandering and smearing." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces planes had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by repeatedly approaching its exercise areas. Beijing did not mention a radar lock-on.

An official for the Chinese foreign ministry later urged Japan to "halt its dangerous moves of harassing our normal military exercise and training."

Escalating Tensions and Broader Context

Relations linking Beijing and Japan have deteriorated significantly over the past month. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japan's military should the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Japan could exercise its legal authority to collective defense, meaning assisting a partner under attack. She stated that Japan had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described the radar incident as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." Subsequently, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned the following day.

Japan's vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "formal complaint" and demanded Beijing to "ensure that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Disputes

Japan and China are also locked in a protracted sovereignty disagreement over the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu in China. These small, uninhabited islands are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional tensions persist. Tokyo is deepening cooperation with American and other partners in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where several countries have their own maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

Beijing, for its part, asserts extensive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, activities that has drawn international concern.