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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to respond "calmly and resolutely" following accusations that People's Liberation Army jets targeted with fire-control radar Japan's F-15s south-east of Okinawa's main island over the weekend.

A Concerning Incident Disclosed

Per the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again approximately later. The ministry stated that visual confirmation could not be obtained due to the distance, adding that there was no damage or casualties occurred.

"This was the first time the Japanese defence ministry has reported an event of this nature," a report noted. Fighter jets commonly use radar to search and rescue.

Official Protest and Counter-Claims

In response to the allegations, China's military released a declaration dismissing the report as "completely inconsistent with reality." The statement urged Japan to "immediately stop slandering and smearing." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces planes had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by consistently flying near its training zones. The Chinese statement made no reference to a radar lock-on.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later urged Tokyo to "halt its dangerous moves of harassing China's normal drills and exercises."

Escalating Strains and Broader Context

Relations linking China and Tokyo have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. The downturn came after PM Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might lead to the dispatch of Japanese military if such a conflict posed an existential threat to Japan.

Takaichi argued that Tokyo could invoke its legal authority to collective defense, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. The Prime Minister stated that her country had to "anticipate a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." In a diplomatic move, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and urged Beijing to "guarantee that such acts are not repeated."

Longstanding Disputes

Japan and China 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, broader geopolitical tensions continue. Japan has been strengthening military and strategic ties with American and other allies in the Indo-Pacific region, a region where a number of countries are engaged in their own territorial and maritime disagreements with Beijing.

China, for its part, maintains extensive sovereignty claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has drawn criticism and legal challenges.