Japan Urges China to Stop Radar Locks on Japanese Jets
The urgent diplomatic intervention followed Tokyo's accusation that Chinese warplanes had activated weapons-targeting systems against Japanese F-15 fighters during two distinct encounters above international maritime zones.
Both confrontations unfolded in airspace southeast of Okinawa island on Saturday, Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi disclosed via a statement posted on X, the US social media platform.
According to Koizumi, J-15 fighter aircraft launched from China's carrier Liaoning engaged fire-control radar against two Japanese military jets "intermittently" across the separate aerial standoffs.
Tokyo characterized the actions as "dangerous," with Koizumi confirming authorities filed a "strong protest" with Beijing while demanding an end to such alleged behavior. The minister noted neither casualties nor aircraft damage resulted from either incident.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy spokesman Wang Xuemeng offered a contradictory account, stating the Liaoning carrier group was executing routine fighter operations east of the Miyako Strait.
Wang told a news outlet that Japanese military aircraft "repeatedly approached the PLA Navy's training sea and airspace and made harassment, seriously interfering with China's normal training activities and posing a severe threat to flight safety."
"We firmly demand that Japan immediately cease its slander and smearing, and strictly restrain its frontline operations. The PLA Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests," Wang added.
The escalation arrives amid deteriorating relations between Beijing and Tokyo after Takaichi declared on Nov. 7 that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could legally represent a "survival-threatening situation," potentially permitting Japan to "exercise the right of collective self-defense." The remarks intensified bilateral friction.
Beijing unleashed harsh criticism, warned citizens against traveling to Japan, halted seafood purchases, and canceled a scheduled trilateral cultural ministerial summit involving Japan and South Korea.
Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, sits adjacent to Japan's Yonaguni Island.
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