The Chinese Navy’s J-15 fighter jet locked its radar onto Japanese combat jets southeast of Okinawa’s main island, Japan’s defence ministry said, denouncing it as a “dangerous act”.
Ties between Japan and China have deteriorated over the past month, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting that Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.
“This radar-locking constitutes a dangerous act exceeding the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said during a news conference.
“The occurrence of such an incident is deeply regrettable. We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict measures to prevent a recurrence.”
Koizumi said no personnel were hurt and no aircraft were damaged in the incident, which saw the Chinese fighters conduct radar lock-ons twice, first between 4:32 p.m. and 4:35 p.m. and again between 6:37 p.m. and 7:08 p.m. on Saturday.
In the first incident over the seas southeast of Okinawa Island, “a J-15 fighter jet launched from the Chinese Navy’s aircraft carrier ‘Liaoning’ intermittently locked the radar’ on a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet that was scrambled over the Chinese aircraft’s airspace intrusion, the ministry said in a statement.
About two hours later, a Chinese J-15 fighter jet from the Liaoning intermittently locked radar on another Japanese fighter jet, it said.
Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets and for search-and-rescue operations.
Earlier, Taiwan’s intelligence chief said that Chinese warplanes have “simulated attacks” on foreign vessels transiting the Taiwan Strait.
Eight countries, including the US, Japan, Australia, and France, have sent naval warships through the narrow stretch of water so far this year, National Security Bureau director-general Tsai Ming-yen said.
China shadows “every vessel”, Tsai told lawmakers in parliament.
“It will deploy corresponding naval assets to conduct necessary monitoring, and at times… it will also mobilise air forces to carry out simulated attacks to signal its military presence and claim of dominance in the Strait.”
J-15 Does It Again
In early June, Chinese J-15 fighters conducted dangerously close intercepts of a Japanese surveillance aircraft, coming within 50 meters in what Tokyo described as “unusually provocative maneuvers.
”The incidents involved J-15s operating from the carrier Shandong and targeted a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft conducting routine surveillance over waters Japan refers to as the Pacific Ocean (widely known internationally as the Philippine Sea).
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense:
- On Saturday, a J-15 shadowed a JMSDF P-3C for approximately 40 minutes and closed to within 45 meters of the Japanese aircraft.
- On Sunday, another J-15 shadowed a P-3C for roughly 80 minutes and, in a separate incident, crossed approximately 900 meters directly in front of the Orion’s flight path.
Tokyo characterized both encounters as unsafe and unprofessional.
Meanwhile, for decades, U.S. foreign policy has been dominated by China’s rise. The new national security strategy (NSS) still labels Beijing a competitor, yet it focuses primarily on economics rather than defense.
“We will rebalance America’s economic relationship with China, prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence,” it says.
On Taiwan—the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own—the NSS reaffirms Washington’s longstanding commitment to preserving the status quo. At the same time, it urges Japan and South Korea, both treaty allies, to shoulder greater responsibility for Taiwan’s defense.
The strategy expresses clear enthusiasm for deepening ties with India. The NSS urges Washington to encourage New Delhi—historically non-aligned and increasingly at odds with China—to play a larger role in Indo-Pacific security.
- Via: AFP
- Edited by ET Online Desk
