Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi vowed to “respond” after Tokyo summoned Beijing's ambassador to protest an incident in which Chinese fighter jets allegedly aimed their radar at Japanese military aircraft, deepening the dispute between the two countries.
Japanese defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at an emergency press conference shortly after 2am on Sunday China committed a “dangerous act” near Japan’s Okinawa islands and vowed to respond “resolutely and calmly”.
China disputed the account and said that the navy was holding training exercises in the area, accusing Japanese aircraft of "harassment".
Japan and China traded allegations against each other after a military altercation happened on Saturday in the skies over international waters southeast of Okinawa’s main island, an area in close proximity to islands claimed by both China and Japan.
The Japanese defence ministry said it recorded two separate incidents when a Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft jet locked its fire-control radar onto Japanese F-15s. The first incident happened at 4.32pm and again about two hours later on Saturday.
A fire-control radar lock is among the most threatening actions a military aircraft can take, signalling a possible attack and forcing the targeted aircraft to take evasive measures.
“This radar lock-on incident constitutes a dangerous act that exceeds the scope necessary for the safe flight of aircraft,” Mr Koizumi said in a statement at the emergency meeting.
“We view the occurrence of such an incident with utmost regret, and we have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side while making a stern demand for measures to prevent any recurrence.”
Japanese vice-foreign minister Funakoshi Takehiro summoned China’s ambassador, Wu Jianghao, in order to make “a strong protest that such dangerous acts are extremely regrettable”, according to the ministry.
Chinese military spokesperson, however, said Japan was allegedly interfering with training operations east of the Miyako Strait, calling on Tokyo to stop its smear campaign against Beijing.
Wang Xuemeng, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Navy, said the CNS Liaoning aircraft carrier group was part of a pre-announced sea and air exercise in the east of the Miyako Strait.
"We solemnly asked the Japanese side to immediately stop slandering and smearing, and strictly restrain its frontline actions. The Chinese Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests," Mr Wang said in a statement on Sunday.
He said the Japanese Self-Defence Force aircraft "repeatedly approached and disrupted" the carrier group's training areas, which "seriously affected normal operations and posed a serious threat to flight safety".
Ties between China and Japan have seen rapid deterioration since November, after Ms Takaichi told the Japanese parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. China reacted angrily, accusing Ms Takaichi of crossing a “red line” and demanding a retraction.
Ms Takaichi said Japan had to “anticipate a worst-case scenario” in the Taiwan Strait in its right to collective self-defence, the remarks which prompted US president Donald Trump to urge the Japanese leader to avoid making such statements, inflaming ties with China.
However, she has refused to withdraw her statement, with Beijing launching a slew of diplomatic, trade and economic retaliatory moves. It includes Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood entering China, and sending military and coast guard vessels into the disputed Senkaku Islands.
Ms Takaichi said on Sunday that latest incident was “extremely regrettable.”
“We will respond calmly and resolutely,” she said during her visit to Ishikawa Prefecture, vowing to do the utmost in carrying out surveillance operations around Japanese waters and airspace, while closely watching Chinese military activity around Japan.
“Japan has strongly protested to the Chinese side, and we firmly requested measures to prevent recurrence,” she said.
Australia expressed alarm over Chinese actions, urging calm from both sides.
"We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours," Australian defence minister Richard Marles told a joint news conference Sunday after holding talks with Mr Koizumi. "We expect those interactions to be safe and professional."
Australia does "not want to see any change to the status quo across the Taiwan Straits," Mr Marles said, adding that China is his country's largest trade partner and he wants to have productive relations with Beijing.
"We continue to advocate to China about these issues again, in a very calm, sensible and moderate way," he said.
Saturday's radar lock is believed to be the first involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said.
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