Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has vowed to “respond calmly and resolutely” after Chinese military aircraft were accused of locking their fire-control radar on to Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa islands. The alleged incident occurred on Saturday southeast of Okinawa’s main islands, where China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it was conducting “far-sea training”.
Japan’s defence ministry reported about 100 fighter jet take-offs from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier. It said Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft from that carrier directed their fire-control radar on to Japanese F-15s twice – at 4.32pm and again about two hours later. Visual confirmation was not possible due to the distances involved, and no damage or injuries were caused. A fire-control radar lock is considered one of the most threatening acts a military aircraft can take.
Japan summoned China’s ambassador, Wu Jianghao, on Sunday, with vice-foreign minister Funakoshi Takehiro lodging a “strong protest”. Defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the incident “dangerous and extremely regrettable”. It was the first time Japan’s defence ministry has disclosed a radar lock by Chinese warplanes, according to Kyodo news agency.
China has rejected Japan’s accusations as “completely inconsistent with the facts”. Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s defence ministry, accused Japan’s self-defence forces of having “maliciously followed and harassed” the Liaoning aircraft carrier group. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told Japan to “immediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing China’s normal military exercise and training”.
The incident is the latest in weeks of spiralling bilateral disputes, sparked by Takaichi’s comments that a PLA attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military involvement. Takaichi has refused to withdraw the remarks, which led Beijing to reimpose a ban on Japanese seafood and increase military activity near the disputed Senkaku Islands and Okinawan territories.
