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The Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to respond "calmly and resolutely" after claims that Chinese military jets targeted with fire-control radar Japan's F-15s southeast of the main island over the weekend.

An Concerning Incident Reported

According to the Japanese defence ministry, China's J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated its fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about two hours. The ministry noted that visual confirmation was not possible because of the distance, adding that there was no damage or injuries resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese defence ministry has disclosed such an incident," one news agency noted. Military aircraft routinely use radar to target identification.

Official Protest and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, China's military released a declaration rejecting the report as "completely inconsistent with reality." It demanded Japan to "cease slandering and smearing." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japanese SDF planes had "seriously endangered aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near its training zones. The Chinese statement made no reference to any radar targeting.

An official for the Chinese foreign ministry subsequently called on Tokyo to "immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing our routine military exercise and training."

Escalating Tensions and Broader Context

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. The downturn came after Prime Minister Takaichi stated that an attack on Taiwan could lead to the dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if such a conflict presented an existential threat to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Japan had the right to exercise its right to collective defense, which involves assisting a partner under attack. The Prime Minister stated that her country had to "prepare for the most severe possibilities" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled the encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." In a diplomatic move, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in the following day.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Points of Contention

The two nations have a protracted sovereignty disagreement over the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing. These tiny, unoccupied islets are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo is deepening cooperation with the US and its partners in the Asia-Pacific area, where a number of countries have similar maritime) disputes with Beijing.

Beijing, for its part, maintains vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, activities that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.