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Japan's leader, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to act "with calm determination" following accusations that People's Liberation Army aircraft locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s southeast of the primary island during the weekend.

A Dangerous Incident Detailed

As stated by Japan's Ministry of Defense, China's J-15 fighter aircraft from the carrier Liaoning activated their targeting radar on Japanese F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred happened at 1632 hours and was repeated about later. The ministry noted that visual confirmation was not possible because of the distance, and confirmed that no damage or injuries resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has disclosed an event of this nature," a report stated. Military aircraft commonly use radar for target identification.

Diplomatic Protest and Denials

Reacting to the allegations, the Chinese military issued a statement dismissing the report as "totally contrary to the facts." The statement urged Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by consistently flying near its exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention a radar lock-on.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry subsequently called on Tokyo to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing China's normal drills and exercises."

Rising Strains and Regional Context

Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated markedly over the past month. The downturn came after Prime Minister Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might lead to the deployment of Japanese military if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi argued that Tokyo had the right to exercise its right to collective self-defence, meaning coming to the aid of a partner under attack. The Prime Minister stated that Japan had to "anticipate a worst-case scenario" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described Saturday's encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." Subsequently, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

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

Longstanding Points of Contention

Japan and China have a protracted territorial dispute over a group of Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islets are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, broader geopolitical frictions persist. Japan has been strengthening military and strategic ties with American and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where a number of nations have similar maritime) disputes with China.

Beijing, in turn, asserts vast sovereignty claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has drawn international concern.