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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "calmly and resolutely" after reports that People's Liberation Army jets targeted with fire-control radar Japan's fighter jets south-east of Okinawa's main island during the past weekend.

A Serious Aerial Encounter Reported

As stated by Japan's Ministry of Defense, China's J-15 fighter aircraft from the carrier Liaoning activated its fire-control radar against Japan's F-15s twice last Saturday. The first incident happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again about later. The ministry noted that visual confirmation was not possible because of the distance, adding that no damage or casualties occurred.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has reported an event of this nature," one news agency stated. Fighter jets routinely employ radar systems for search and rescue.

Official Protest and Denials

In response to the allegations, China's navy issued a statement dismissing them as "completely inconsistent with reality." It urged Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, China asserted that Japan's SDF aircraft had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by consistently approaching its training zones. Beijing made no reference to a radar lock-on.

An official for the Chinese foreign ministry later urged Japan to "halt its dangerous moves of harassing China's routine military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Regional Context

Relations between Beijing and Japan have worsened significantly over the past month. The downturn followed Prime Minister Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan could lead to the deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces should the situation presented an extreme danger to the nation.

She insisted that Tokyo could invoke its right to collective defense, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. She emphasized that Japan had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's radar incident as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned on Sunday.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "formal complaint" and demanded the Chinese government to "ensure that similar actions are not repeated."

Enduring Disputes

The two nations have a long-running territorial dispute over a group of islands, which are known as the Diaoyu in China. The tiny, unoccupied islands are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional tensions continue. Tokyo is deepening cooperation with the US and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where a number of countries have their own maritime) disputes with Beijing.

Beijing, for its part, maintains extensive territorial claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has prompted international concern.