TOKYO — Japan has issued a formal diplomatic protest to China following a significant military incident involving advanced fighter aircraft near the southern Okinawa islands. The confrontation occurred Saturday when a J-15 fighter operating from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier activated targeting radar against Japanese F-15 jets on two separate occasions.
According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the initial radar lock persisted for approximately three minutes during late afternoon hours, followed by a more prolonged thirty-minute engagement in the evening. Japanese officials confirmed that multiple F-15s dispatched to monitor potential airspace violations detected the radar targeting from the Chinese aircraft.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi characterized the incident during early Sunday briefings as “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.” He emphasized that Japan had conveyed strong objections to Chinese authorities while demanding immediate preventive measures to avoid future occurrences.
The incident represents the latest escalation in deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations, exacerbated recently by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November statements regarding potential Japanese military involvement should China take action against Taiwan. The Liaoning carrier group was conducting flight operations in the Pacific, transiting between Okinawa’s main island and nearby Miyako island during the exercises.
Japanese authorities confirmed no actual breach of airspace occurred and reported no injuries or damage resulting from the encounter. This marks the first documented instance of radar locking between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft, though a similar naval incident occurred in 2013 when a Chinese vessel targeted a Japanese destroyer with fire control radar.