Japan has summoned China’s ambassador after Chinese military aircraft reportedly locked their radar onto Japanese planes in international waters near Okinawa–the latest incident in the row ignited after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments backing Taiwan.
Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own and which it has not ruled out seizing by force.
Japanese official Minoru Kihara said that on Saturday, J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft. No damage occurred, but it was the first time Japan had reported such an incident.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan scrambled its F-15 jets due to concerns over possible “airspace violations.” He responded on Monday that China’s “claim that the Self-Defense Forces aircraft seriously obstructed the safe flight of Chinese aircraft is unfounded.”
China’s navy countered that Japanese planes
repeatedly approached the Chinese Navy’s training area and caused trouble, seriously affecting the normal training of the Chinese side and seriously endangering flight safety.
In response, Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi summoned Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao on Sunday and “made a strong protest that such dangerous acts are extremely regrettable.”
Funakoshi “strongly urged the Government of China to ensure that similar actions do not recur,” the Japanese foreign ministry reported
Beijing’s foreign ministry said it rejected that protest, and had lodged its own counter-protest, according to state news agency Xinhua.
