Japan Dismisses China's Radar Lock Allegations

(MENAFN) Japan has dismissed allegations from China that interference by Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft during naval exercises justified radar targeting of the jets, according to local media reports Monday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara informed journalists that Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) fighter planes maintained a "safe distance" from Chinese military aircraft operating near Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, a Tokyo-based news agency reported.

A day earlier, China's navy issued a statement claiming Japanese aircraft "repeatedly approached and disrupted" the Chinese naval training maritime area and airspace, and "seriously endangered flight safety," though the statement omitted any reference to radar targeting.

Addressing China's claims, Kihara characterized the radar lock-on incidents as "dangerous acts beyond what was necessary for the safe flight of aircraft."

Tokyo intends to implement "all possible" air and maritime surveillance measures while maintaining vigilant observation of Chinese military operations, he stated.

Japan's Defense Ministry announced Saturday that Chinese J-15 aircraft launched from carrier Liaoning directed radar locks at two ASDF F-15 jets flying over international waters southeast of Okinawa's main island.

The dispute erupts amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Tokyo following Takaichi's November 7 statement that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could legally constitute a "survival-threatening situation," potentially allowing Japan to "exercise the right of collective self-defense."

China delivered a harsh response to those comments, issuing travel warnings discouraging tourists from visiting Japan, halting seafood imports, and canceling a trilateral culture ministers' conference with Japan and South Korea.

Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, sits in close proximity to Japan's Yonaguni Island.

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