Japan's PM Promises a 'Resolute' Answer In the Wake of Targeting Altercation Involving Chinese Aircraft.
The Japanese leader, Sanae Takaichi, has pledged to respond "with calm determination" following reports that People's Liberation Army aircraft acquired a radar lock on Japanese F-15s south-east of the main island during the past weekend.
An Concerning Aerial Encounter Reported
Per Japan's defence ministry, Chinese J-15 jets operating from the carrier Liaoning engaged its fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s on two occasions last Saturday. This occurred happened at 1632 hours and was repeated about two hours. Officials noted that visual confirmation could not be obtained because of the range involved, adding that no damage or injuries were reported.
"It marked an unprecedented instance the Japanese defence ministry has made public such an incident," one news agency noted. Fighter jets routinely employ radar systems to tracking purposes.
Official Protest and Denials
In response to Tokyo's claims, the Chinese military issued a statement rejecting them as "completely inconsistent with the facts." The statement demanded Tokyo to "cease making false accusations." Instead, Beijing asserted that Japan's SDF planes had "posed a grave risk to aviation safety" by consistently approaching China's exercise areas. The Chinese statement did not mention any radar targeting.
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently urged Japan to "immediately stop its provocative actions of interfering with our normal military exercise and training."
Escalating Strains and Regional Background
Ties between Beijing and Japan have soured significantly over the past month. This cooling came after PM Takaichi remarked that an attack on Taiwan might trigger the dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces if such a conflict presented an existential threat to Japan.
Takaichi argued that Japan had the right to invoke its legal authority to collective self-defence, which involves assisting an ally. The Prime Minister emphasized that her country had to "anticipate a worst-case scenario" in the Taiwan Strait.
Japan's Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, labeled Saturday's radar incident as "highly risky and deeply unfortunate." Subsequently, the Chinese envoy to Japan, Wu Jianghao, was called in on Sunday.
A senior vice-foreign minister, Funakoshi Takehiro, lodged a "formal complaint" and demanded Beijing to "guarantee that such acts are not repeated."
Longstanding Points of Contention
Japan and China are also locked in a protracted territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, called the Diaoyu in China. These tiny, uninhabited islands are situated in waters between Okinawa and Taiwan.
Furthermore, regional frictions continue. Tokyo has been deepening cooperation with American and other allies in the Indo-Pacific area, a region where a number of nations are engaged in similar maritime) disagreements with Beijing.
China, for its part, asserts vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, a posture that has prompted international concern.
