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The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "with calm determination" after reports that People's Liberation Army jets acquired a radar lock on Japanese F-15s southeast of Okinawa's primary island during the weekend.

An Dangerous Incident Reported

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, China's J-15 jets operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning activated their fire-control radar against Japan's F-15s twice last Saturday. The first incident happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again about two hours. Officials stated that a visual sighting could not be obtained because of the range involved, and confirmed that no damage or injuries resulted.

"This was an unprecedented instance the Japanese defence ministry has made public such an incident," one news agency noted. Military aircraft routinely employ radar systems for tracking purposes.

Official Objection and Counter-Claims

Reacting to the allegations, the Chinese navy released a declaration rejecting the report as "totally contrary to reality." It demanded Japan to "immediately stop making false accusations." Instead, Beijing claimed that Japan's Self-Defense Forces planes had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by repeatedly flying near its training zones. The Chinese statement made no reference to a radar lock-on.

An official for China's foreign ministry later urged Tokyo to "immediately stop its provocative actions of harassing our routine military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Broader Background

Ties between China and Tokyo have soured significantly over the past month. The downturn came after PM Takaichi stated that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces if the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

She argued that Tokyo had the right to invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, meaning assisting a partner under attack. She stated that Japan had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" regarding the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled the encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." In a diplomatic move, the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned on Sunday.

A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, made a "formal complaint" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Points of Contention

Japan and China have a protracted sovereignty disagreement over a group of Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu by Beijing. These tiny, uninhabited islands are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Additionally, broader geopolitical frictions persist. Japan is deepening cooperation with American and other allies in the Asia-Pacific region, where several nations are engaged in their own maritime) disagreements with China.

Beijing, in turn, asserts extensive territorial claims in adjacent seas, a posture that has drawn international concern.