Japan on Sunday (Dec 7) accused Chinese fighter jets of aiming fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two separate incidents near the Okinawa island chain—an action Tokyo described as exceptionally hazardous and indicative of escalating military friction between the two rivals. Beijing swiftly rejected the allegations, accusing Japan of provoking Chinese forces operating legally in international waters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaking to reporters in Tokyo, said the radar illumination episodes posed a direct threat to flight safety and breached accepted norms of military conduct. “These radar illuminations are a dangerous act that went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft,” she said. Japan has lodged a formal protest with Beijing, calling the incident “extremely regrettable.”
The Japanese government stated that the encounters occurred on Saturday as Chinese J-15 fighters, launched from the Liaoning aircraft carrier operating south of Okinawa, engaged in carrier-based flight operations. Japan said the Chinese pilots directed their radar at Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) aircraft assigned to monitor the carrier group’s movements. Tokyo scrambled F-15 fighters in response.
Directing fire-control radar at another aircraft is widely considered a hostile gesture because it signals that the targeting aircraft is preparing for potential weapons release. However, Japanese officials stopped short of saying whether there had been a full radar “lock,” or whether defensive maneuvers were required by the JSDF pilots.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, meeting Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles in Tokyo at the time, said Japan would respond “resolutely and calmly” to ensure regional stability. “Japan cannot allow conduct that increases the risk of unintended clashes,” he said. Marles echoed Tokyo’s stance, saying Australia was “deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours” and would stand with Japan in defending the rules-based order.
Beijing, however, offered a sharply different account. Colonel Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese Navy, said Japanese military aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted China’s announced carrier flight training east of the Miyako Strait—a key passageway between Japan’s southwestern islands. In a statement posted to official Chinese social media accounts, Wang accused Japan of “slandering and smearing” Chinese operations. “We solemnly demand that the Japanese side immediately stop… and strictly restrain front-line actions,” he said. “The Chinese Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests.”
The incidents mark the most serious military run-ins between the two nations in years, coming amid mounting tensions over Taiwan and intensifying mistrust between Tokyo and Beijing. Relations have markedly deteriorated in recent weeks, particularly after Prime Minister Takaichi stated that Japan would respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan if it threatened Japanese security.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has escalated military activity around the island, while Japan, geographically only 110km from Taiwan’s westernmost island, sees the security of the Taiwan Strait as inseparable from its own national defence. Beijing recently advised its citizens against travelling to Japan and halted efforts to resume seafood imports suspended after Japan released treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Saturday’s radar incidents harken back to previous confrontations. In 2013, Tokyo accused a Chinese warship of locking fire-control radar on a Japanese destroyer. Three years later, Beijing alleged Japanese fighter jets had used their radar in a similar manner against Chinese aircraft. As recently as June, Japan said Chinese jets flew dangerously close to one of its patrol planes near Okinawa.
The latest encounter also comes as China expands its naval presence across East Asian waters. On Thursday, more than 100 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels were deployed simultaneously across the region, according to sources cited by Reuters. Taiwan described the buildup as a threat to the Indo-Pacific’s stability, while Japan said it was closely monitoring every Chinese movement.
Taiwan’s coast guard on Sunday reported tracking drills by three Chinese maritime safety vessels near the western side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line. Although the situation remained “normal,” Taiwan accused China of using “misleading and false wording” to conceal activities aimed at intimidation and psychological pressure. Chinese state media described the operations as search-and-rescue drills in busy, accident-prone lanes in the central strait. Beijing insists it holds full sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait, while the United States and Taiwan assert that it is an international waterway.
The United States, which stations tens of thousands of troops, warships, and combat aircraft in Okinawa, has yet to respond formally to Japan’s claims. Neither the US State Department nor the US Embassy in Tokyo offered immediate comment. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass has expressed support for Tokyo in several social-media posts, though President Donald Trump and top US officials have remained largely silent.
The silence comes even as the Trump administration outlined a new strategy document on Friday, stating it aims to prevent conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea through a strengthened US and allied military posture. According to sources familiar with diplomatic exchanges, Trump recently urged Takaichi not to escalate the dispute, following a call with President Xi Jinping in which Xi stressed that Taiwan’s “return” was central to China’s vision for the global order.
With the Liaoning carrier group maneuvering south of Okinawa alongside three missile destroyers, and with Chinese and Japanese aircraft now openly clashing over radar targeting claims, the risk of miscalculation appears to be rising. As both countries harden their rhetoric and expand their military presence, the Okinawa–Taiwan corridor—an already volatile strategic gateway—once again stands at the centre of East Asia’s most dangerous flashpoint.
