Japan lodges strong protest against China after J-15 aircraft lock onto target with radar during mission to track Liaoning aircraft carrier, while China retaliates against Japan's exaggerated accusations.
On December 8, 2025, at 6:06 a.m., Bloomberg News reported that Tensions between China and Japan escalated over the weekend. After reports that Chinese fighter jets aimed their fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft, both sides erupted in protests and heated accusations.
On Sunday, a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official reprimanded the Chinese ambassador to Japan over the incident, while the Chinese foreign ministry accused Japan of “Distorting the facts” Ready to protest against Japan as well.
Minoru Kihara, Japanese government spokesman Japan will respond calmly but firmly on Monday morning, stressing that it will maintain communication channels with Beijing. He also noted that there has been no change in China's rare earth export curbs, despite local media reports that some Japanese companies are facing delays in applying to import minerals from China amid diplomatic tensions.
The incident occurred over international waters southeast of Okinawa Prefecture, according to a statement from Japan's Ministry of Defense. Chinese J-15 fighter jets, taking off from the Liaoning aircraft carrier, periodically aimed their fire control radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets as Japan monitored Chinese training operations.
Unlike conventional surveillance radars, fire control radars are used to track specific targets and lock onto weapons systems, making the activation of this type of radar considered an aggressive behavior, as it is a step before the actual firing of weapons.
China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement denying the allegations, accusing Japan of deliberately sowing divisions and saying the Japanese aircraft had interfered with Chinese flight training, endangering aviation safety. The statement said the Japanese side was deliberately inciting the issue of radar targeting to sow tensions and mislead the international community.
Diplomatic conflict erupts after Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan He said last month that if China seized Taiwan by force, it would pose a survival threat to Japan, a condition that would allow Tokyo to send troops alongside other countries.
China has responded with a series of economic and diplomatic measures, from warning its citizens not to travel to Japan to sending a protest letter to the United Nations, accusing Japan of violating the UN Charter. This latest radar incident suggests the conflict has escalated into a security dimension.
China called on Takaichi to retract her remarks, but she refused, insisting that Japan's position on Taiwan remains unchanged.
As tensions continue, Japan has tried to defuse the situation by urging China to exercise restraint. Last week, a group of Japanese lawmakers pushing for friendly ties with China met with the Chinese ambassador to Japan to seek ways to de-escalate the situation.
Tomomi Inada, former Minister of Defense He condemned the incident as "extremely dangerous and protracted," saying Japan must explain to the international community the true risks, as it could lead to the threat of force.
Takehiro Funakoshi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Summon the Chinese ambassador to the ministry and lodge a strong protest, calling for such an incident to not happen again.
The Chinese ambassador posted on the X platform that he had complained to the Japanese side about the disturbance of China's military exercises.
It is unclear whether this fire control radar aiming was directed in the context of a diplomatic dispute.ήNo, but a similar incident occurred in 2556 when a Chinese ship aimed its fire control radar at a Japanese destroyer during an island dispute in the East China Sea.
Japan said over the weekend it detected about 100 takeoffs and landings by warplanes and helicopters from its aircraft carrier Liaoning near Japan's southern islands, as the Chinese carrier and four warships passed through the strait between Miyako Island and Okinawa before turning northeast.
Japanese forces monitored the situation from destroyers and fighter jets and saw about 50 takeoffs and landings a day from the carrier throughout Saturday and Sunday, with the aircraft launch exercises being a key part of enhancing the carrier's combat capabilities, with the US Navy able to launch so many aircraft in just a few minutes.
In recent years, China has increased the frequency of its aircraft carrier operations around Japan, including the first simultaneous appearance of two aircraft carriers in June.
In the 2555 East China Sea dispute, China restricted rare earth exports to Japan, potentially signaling that Beijing may resort to similar measures again if tensions escalate. Rare earths are crucial raw materials for industries ranging from automobiles to batteries.
Kihara said Japan has already dealt with restrictions on rare earth minerals from China, and those measures have severely impacted global supply chains, stressing that Japan will closely monitor the situation and cooperate with other countries to respond if necessary.
refer : bloomberg.com
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