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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to respond "in a composed yet firm manner" following reports that Chinese military jets targeted with fire-control radar Japanese F-15s southeast of the primary island over the past weekend.

An Dangerous Incident Detailed

Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar against Japan's F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. The first incident took place at 1632 hours and was repeated approximately later. The ministry noted that a visual sighting could not be obtained due to the distance, and confirmed that no damage or casualties were reported.

"It marked an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has made public such an incident," one news agency noted. Military aircraft commonly use radar to target identification.

Official Objection and Denials

Reacting to Tokyo's claims, China's navy issued a declaration rejecting them as "completely inconsistent with the facts." It demanded Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, China claimed that Japan's SDF planes had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly approaching its exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention any radar targeting.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry later called on Japan to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing our normal drills and exercises."

Escalating Strains and Broader Background

Ties between Beijing and Tokyo have worsened significantly over the past month. This cooling came after PM Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might lead to the dispatch of Japan's military if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi argued that Japan had the right to invoke its legal authority to collective defense, which involves assisting an ally. She emphasized that Japan had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

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

A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and urged the Chinese government to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Enduring Disputes

The two nations are also locked in a protracted sovereignty disagreement over a group of islands, which are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing. The small, uninhabited islets lie in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical frictions continue. Tokyo is strengthening cooperation with the US and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where a number of nations are engaged in their own maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

Beijing, in turn, asserts extensive territorial claims in adjacent seas, activities that has prompted international concern.