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Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to act "calmly and resolutely" following reports that People's Liberation Army jets locked their radar onto Japanese fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's primary island over the weekend.

An Serious Incident Reported

Per Japan's Ministry of Defense, Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged their fire-control radar against Japanese F-15s twice last Saturday. The first incident took place at 1632 hours and was repeated about two hours. The ministry stated that a visual sighting was not possible because of the range involved, adding that there was no damage or casualties resulted.

"This was the first time the Japanese defence ministry has made public an event of this nature," a report noted. Fighter jets commonly employ radar systems to target identification.

Diplomatic Objection and Counter-Claims

In response to Tokyo's claims, China's military issued a statement dismissing them as "totally contrary to the facts." The statement demanded Japan to "immediately stop slandering and smearing." Conversely, China claimed that Japan's Self-Defense Forces planes had "posed a grave risk to flight safety" by repeatedly flying near China's training zones. Beijing did not mention a radar lock-on.

A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently urged Japan to "halt its provocative actions of interfering with China's normal military exercise and training."

Rising Tensions and Regional Background

Relations linking China and Japan have worsened significantly over the past month. The downturn came after PM Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces should the situation presented an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Japan had the right to invoke its right to collective defense, which involves assisting a partner under attack. She stated that Japan had to "anticipate the most severe possibilities" in the Taiwan Strait.

Japan's defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's encounter as "dangerous and extremely regrettable." In a diplomatic move, China's envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned the following day.

A senior vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "strong protest" and demanded the Chinese government to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Points of Contention

The two nations are also locked in a long-running sovereignty disagreement over a group of islands, which are known as the Diaoyu by Beijing. The small, unoccupied islets are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo is strengthening cooperation with the US and other allies in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where several nations are engaged in similar territorial and maritime disagreements with Beijing.

Beijing, for its part, maintains extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea, activities that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.