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Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, committed to respond "in a composed yet firm manner" after accusations that Chinese military aircraft acquired a radar lock on Japanese fighter jets south-east of the main island during the weekend.

A Serious Aerial Encounter Disclosed

Per Japan's defence ministry, China's J-15 jets operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning engaged its targeting radar against Japanese F-15s twice on Saturday. This occurred happened at 4:32 p.m. and occurred again about later. The ministry stated that a visual sighting could not be obtained because of the range involved, and confirmed that no damage or injuries were reported.

"It marked an unprecedented instance the Japanese Ministry of Defense has reported such an incident," one news agency stated. Military aircraft commonly employ radar systems to target identification.

Official Protest and Denials

In response to Tokyo's claims, China's navy issued a statement dismissing them as "totally contrary to reality." It demanded Japan to "immediately stop slandering and smearing." Conversely, China claimed that Japan's SDF aircraft had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by consistently approaching its exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention a radar lock-on.

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

Escalating Strains and Broader Background

Ties linking Beijing and Japan have worsened markedly in recent weeks. This cooling followed Prime Minister Takaichi stated that hostilities against Taiwan might lead to the dispatch of Japanese military if such a conflict posed an extreme danger to Japan.

Takaichi insisted that Japan could exercise its right to collective defense, which involves coming to the aid of an ally. The Prime Minister stated that her country had to "prepare for a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled the radar incident as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, China's ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was summoned on Sunday.

Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that similar actions do not recur."

Longstanding Points of Contention

The two nations are also locked in a protracted sovereignty disagreement over a group of Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islands are situated between Okinawa and Taiwan.

Furthermore, broader geopolitical tensions persist. Tokyo has been deepening cooperation with American and other partners in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where a number of nations have their own maritime) disagreements with Beijing.

China, in turn, asserts vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, activities that has prompted criticism and legal challenges.