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Japan's leader, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to act "calmly and resolutely" after claims that People's Liberation Army jets targeted with fire-control radar Japanese F-15s south-east of the primary island during the weekend.

A Concerning Incident Disclosed

Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft operating from the carrier Liaoning engaged their targeting radar on Japanese F-15s twice on Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and was repeated about two hours. The ministry noted that a visual sighting could not be obtained due to the distance, and confirmed that there was no damage or casualties were reported.

"It marked the first time the Japanese Ministry of Defense has made public such an incident," one news agency stated. Fighter jets routinely use radar for tracking purposes.

Diplomatic Protest and Counter-Claims

Reacting to Tokyo's claims, China's navy released a statement dismissing the report as "totally contrary to the facts." It demanded Japan to "cease making false accusations." Conversely, Beijing asserted that Japan's SDF aircraft had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by consistently flying near its exercise areas. The Chinese statement made no reference to any radar targeting.

An official for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs later called on Japan to "immediately stop its provocative actions of interfering with China's routine military exercise and training."

Escalating Tensions and Broader Background

Ties between Beijing and Japan have deteriorated markedly over the past month. The downturn came after PM Takaichi remarked that hostilities against Taiwan might lead to the deployment of Japan's military should such a conflict posed an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Tokyo could invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. The Prime Minister stated that her country had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled the encounter as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.

Japan's vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "strong protest" and demanded the Chinese government to "guarantee that such acts do not recur."

Enduring Disputes

Japan and China have a protracted territorial dispute over a group of islands, which are known as the Diaoyu in China. These small, unoccupied islands lie in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, regional tensions persist. Tokyo has been deepening military and strategic ties with American and its allies in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where several nations are engaged in similar territorial and maritime disagreements with Beijing.

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