TOKYO – Japan reported on Sunday that Chinese fighter jets had directed fire-control radar at its military aircraft in two “dangerous” incidents near the Okinawa islands, a claim Beijing denied.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on X that the radar use “went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft” and described the encounters as “regrettable.” Japan has lodged a formal protest with China over Saturday’s incidents.
Speaking alongside Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Tokyo, Koizumi said Japan would respond “resolutely and calmly” to maintain regional peace and stability.
China’s navy, through spokesperson Colonel Wang Xuemeng, claimed Japanese aircraft repeatedly approached and disrupted Chinese carrier-based training flights east of the Miyako Strait. Wang said Japan’s statements were “erroneous” and accused Japanese actions of seriously endangering flight safety. He urged Japan to stop “slandering and smearing” and said the Chinese navy would take necessary measures to safeguard its security and rights.
The incidents occurred near islands claimed by both Japan and China and are among the most serious military encounters in years, heightening tensions between the two nations. Relations have already been strained after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Japan could respond if China took military action against Taiwan that threatened Japanese security.
Directing fire-control radar at another aircraft is considered threatening because it signals a potential attack and may force evasive maneuvers. Japan did not specify whether the Chinese jets locked on its aircraft or how its planes responded.
Australia’s Marles expressed concern over China’s actions and affirmed support for Japan, saying the two countries would uphold a rules-based regional order.
Tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan have increased in recent weeks. Beijing has advised its citizens not to travel to Japan and paused plans to resume seafood imports following Japan’s release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Taiwan, governed democratically, rejects Beijing’s territorial claims and lies just 110 kilometers from Japan’s westernmost island, Yonaguni.
Japan hosts the largest overseas concentration of U.S. military forces, including warships, aircraft, and thousands of Marines in Okinawa. While U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass has expressed support for Japan, senior U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump, have largely remained silent. Trump reportedly urged Takaichi not to escalate tensions, following discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding Taiwan.
According to Japan, the Chinese J-15 jets involved in the incidents were launched from the Liaoning aircraft carrier, which was operating south of Okinawa with three missile destroyers. Japan scrambled F-15 fighters in response.
The two nations have a history of similar encounters. In 2013, a Chinese warship locked fire-control radar on a Japanese destroyer. In 2016, Beijing accused Japanese jets of the same action, and in June 2025, Chinese jets reportedly flew dangerously close to a Japanese patrol aircraft near Okinawa.
China has deployed over 100 naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters, which Taiwan described as a threat to the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan’s coast guard is monitoring Chinese maritime drills near the western side of the Taiwan Strait but reported the situation as “normal.” Chinese state media described the exercises as search-and-rescue operations in high-traffic areas, though Taiwan’s coast guard said the description was misleading and intended to harass Taiwan.
China asserts sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait, a major trade route for about half of global container ships, while the United States and Taiwan maintain it is an international waterway.
