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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to respond "with calm determination" after reports that People's Liberation Army jets locked their radar onto Japanese F-15s south-east of the primary island during the weekend.

A Dangerous Incident Disclosed

Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated its targeting radar on Japanese F-15s on two occasions on Saturday. This occurred happened at 1632 hours and occurred again about two hours. Officials noted that a visual sighting was not possible because of the distance, and confirmed that no damage or casualties occurred.

"This was the first time Japan's Ministry of Defense has reported such an incident," a report stated. Fighter jets routinely use radar to tracking purposes.

Diplomatic Objection and Counter-Claims

Reacting to Tokyo's claims, China's military issued a declaration rejecting them as "totally contrary to the facts." The statement urged Japan to "cease slandering and smearing." Instead, China asserted that Japan's Self-Defense Forces aircraft had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near its exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention a radar lock-on.

An official for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later urged Japan to "halt its provocative actions of harassing China's routine drills and exercises."

Escalating Strains and Broader Context

Relations linking Beijing and Tokyo have soured markedly in recent weeks. The downturn followed Prime Minister Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan could trigger the deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Japan had the right to exercise its legal authority to collective self-defence, meaning coming to the aid of a partner under attack. She emphasized that Japan had to "prepare for the most severe possibilities" in 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 summoned the following day.

A senior vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "strong protest" and demanded Beijing to "ensure that similar actions are not repeated."

Longstanding Points of Contention

The two nations have a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu by Beijing. These tiny, uninhabited islands lie between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional frictions continue. Japan has been deepening cooperation with the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, a region where several countries are engaged in their own maritime) disputes with China.

China, in turn, maintains extensive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, activities that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.