Fears of a new conflict have flared once again after China was accused of an “extremely regrettable” and “dangerous” act. Japan and Australia have demanded “strict preventive measures” after Chinese military aircraft reportedly locked radar onto Japanese fighter jets near Okinawa.
It appears that the fallout between Japan and China is continuing to escalate, as just a month ago Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan. Japan’s Defense Ministry said a Chinese J-15 fighter jet launched from the aircraft carrier Liaoning near Okinawa on Saturday and “intermittently” targeted Japanese F-15s with its radar on two separate occasions—once for about three minutes in the late afternoon and again for roughly 30 minutes in the evening.
The ministry did not specify whether the same J-15 was involved in both alleged radar-lock incidents. Defence officials claimed to Kyodo News that the Japanese F-15s maintained a safe distance and refrained from any actions that might be seen as provocative.
They also said that Japanese airspace was not breached and there were no injuries.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Japan formally protested the alleged incident, calling it “an extremely regrettable” act and a “dangerous” one that “exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations”.
“We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures,” Koizumi said.
Senior Colonel Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese navy, dismissed Japan’s claims and said China will “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its security and legitimate rights and interests”.
He added: “We solemnly asked the Japanese side to immediately stop slandering and smearing, and strictly restrain its frontline actions.”
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles called the alleged incident “deeply concerning”.
“We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours,” Marles said. “We expect those interactions to be safe and professional.”
Marles added that Australia “does not want any alteration to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” noting that China is the country’s biggest trading partner and that he aims to maintain a constructive relationship with Beijing.