Tokyo, December 7 (ANI): Japanese Defence Ministry officials said Chinese fighter aircraft intermittently locked fire-control radar on Japanese F-15 jets over international waters on Saturday, Japanese state media reported Sunday.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi briefed reporters early Sunday, describing two episodes in which a Chinese J-15 launched from the carrier Liaoning targeted Japanese aircraft southeast of Okinawa Prefecture, Kyodo News reported. Koizumi called the actions “dangerous and extremely regrettable,” and Japan has lodged a strong protest, urging China to prevent a recurrence.
A Defence Ministry official said China’s motives were unclear, noting that intermittent radar locks would be unnecessary if the intent were merely to locate aircraft. On December 6, after the Liaoning passed waters off Okinawa Prefecture, the Chinese navy conducted training flights into the Pacific, prompting Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to scramble jets, Kyodo said.
China commissioned its third carrier, the Fujian, last month. Japan’s ministry reported spotting the Liaoning in the East China Sea on Friday, about 420 kilometres north of Kuba Island—an islet administered by Japan but claimed by China. Accompanied by three destroyers, the carrier then moved toward the Pacific and carried out training some 270 km west of Okidaito Island.
China sharply rejected Japan’s protest, calling the flights “regular carrier-based fighter jet training” east of Miyako Strait and accusing Japanese SDF aircraft of “seriously interfering” with its operations and endangering flight safety. Chinese state media Global Times quoted PLA Navy spokesperson Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng saying the training had been publicly announced and that Japan’s reporting was inconsistent with the facts.
“We firmly demand that Japan immediately cease its slander and smearing, and strictly restrain its frontline operations. The PLA Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests,” the statement said, as cited by the Global Times.
In June, Chinese jets reportedly flew dangerously close to a Japanese patrol aircraft near Okinawa. Okinawa lies close to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province it seeks to reunify with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government warned the military buildup threatens the wider Indo-Pacific region, and Japan said it is closely monitoring Chinese activity.
Tensions have risen further following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a military attack on Taiwan could create a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, suggesting potential involvement by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in such a scenario. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
