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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to respond "in a composed yet firm manner" following claims that People's Liberation Army aircraft locked their radar onto Japanese fighter jets south-east of Okinawa's primary island over the past weekend.

An Dangerous Aerial Encounter Detailed

Per the Japanese defence ministry, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its targeting radar against Japanese F-15s twice on Saturday. This occurred took place at 1632 hours and occurred again approximately later. Officials noted that a visual sighting was not possible due to the range involved, adding that no damage or casualties occurred.

"It marked an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has reported such an incident," a report stated. Military aircraft routinely use radar to tracking purposes.

Official Objection and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, China's military released a statement dismissing the report as "totally contrary to the facts." The statement urged Japan to "immediately stop slandering and smearing." Instead, Beijing asserted that Japan's Self-Defense Forces aircraft had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by repeatedly approaching China's training zones. The Chinese statement did not mention any radar targeting.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry later called on Japan to "halt its dangerous moves of harassing our routine drills and exercises."

Escalating Tensions and Broader Background

Ties linking China and Tokyo have worsened significantly in recent weeks. The downturn followed Prime Minister Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She insisted that Japan had the right to exercise its right to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of a partner under attack. The Prime Minister stated 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, 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 Beijing to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Enduring Disputes

Japan and China are also locked in a long-running territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing. The tiny, unoccupied islands lie between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, regional frictions continue. Tokyo is deepening military and strategic ties with American and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, a region where a number of nations have their own maritime) disagreements with China.

China, for its part, asserts extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea, a posture that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.