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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, committed to act "with calm determination" following reports that Chinese military aircraft locked their radar onto Japan's F-15s south-east of Okinawa's primary island over the weekend.

A Concerning Incident Detailed

Per the Japanese Ministry of Defense, China's J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated its targeting radar against Japanese F-15s twice last Saturday. The first incident happened at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about two hours. The ministry noted that visual confirmation could not be obtained because of the distance, adding that there was no damage or injuries resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance Japan's defence ministry has reported such an incident," one news agency stated. Fighter jets routinely employ radar systems to tracking purposes.

Diplomatic Protest and Denials

Reacting to the allegations, the Chinese military released a declaration dismissing the report as "completely inconsistent with reality." The statement demanded Tokyo to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese Self-Defense Forces planes had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near its training zones. Beijing made no reference to any radar targeting.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry subsequently called on Japan to "halt its dangerous moves of interfering with our routine military exercise and training."

Escalating Tensions and Regional Background

Relations linking Beijing and Tokyo have deteriorated significantly over the past month. This cooling followed PM Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japanese military if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Tokyo could invoke its right to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. She emphasized that Japan had to "anticipate a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, described Saturday's encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in the following day.

A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "strong protest" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that such acts are not repeated."

Enduring Points of Contention

Japan and China are also locked in a long-running territorial dispute over a group of Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islets lie between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions continue. Tokyo is deepening military and strategic ties with the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where several countries have similar territorial and maritime disputes with Beijing.

China, in turn, asserts vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, a posture that has drawn international concern.