Japan said on Sunday that Chinese fighter jets directed fire control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two incidents near the Okinawa islands, calling the moves dangerous. China denied the allegation.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the radar use went beyond what is necessary for safe flight and that Japan had lodged a formal protest over Saturday’s incident.
Meeting Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles in Tokyo, Koizumi said Japan would respond resolutely and calmly to protect regional peace and stability.
China’s navy offered a different account. A spokesperson said Japanese aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted Chinese forces during previously announced carrier based flight training east of the Miyako Strait. He said Japan’s actions seriously endangered flight safety.
The incidents occurred near islands claimed by both countries and mark the most serious encounters between their militaries in years.
Tensions have risen further after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Japan could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan if it also threatened Japan’s security.
Fire control radar is used to guide weapons and signals a potential attack. Japan did not say whether a full lock on had occurred or how its aircraft responded.
Australia backed Japan. Marles said Canberra was deeply concerned by China’s actions and would continue working with Japan to support the rules based order.
China has also advised its citizens not to travel to Japan and has suspended plans to resume seafood imports halted after Japan released treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Taiwan lies just 110 kilometres from Japan’s westernmost island. China claims the island as its own and has stepped up military and political pressure. Taiwan rejects the claim.
Japan hosts the largest overseas presence of U.S. forces, including warships, aircraft and thousands of marines stationed in Okinawa.
Washington did not immediately comment on the radar incident. The U.S. ambassador to Japan has posted messages supporting Tokyo, while President Donald Trump has remained publicly silent.
Trump plans to visit Beijing next year for trade talks. Last month he urged Tokyo not to escalate tensions after speaking by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Japan said the Chinese jets involved were J-15 fighters launched from the aircraft carrier Liaoning, which was operating south of Okinawa with three missile destroyers. Japan scrambled F-15 fighters in response.
Similar incidents have occurred before. In 2013 Japan said a Chinese warship locked fire control radar on one of its destroyers. In 2016 China accused Japanese jets of doing the same. In June this year Japan said Chinese jets flew dangerously close to one of its patrol aircraft near Okinawa.
On Thursday, more than 100 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels were deployed across East Asian waters at one time, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Taiwan said the build up posed a threat to the Indo Pacific region. Japan said it is monitoring the activity closely.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s coast guard said it was monitoring drills by three Chinese maritime safety ships west of the median line in the Taiwan Strait and that the situation remained normal.
Chinese state media said the drills were routine search and rescue operations in busy shipping areas. Taiwan accused China of using misleading wording to apply psychological pressure.
China says it exercises sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait, a key global trade route. The United States and Taiwan say the strait is an international waterway.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as ...
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country&...
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and ...
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key I...
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 peop...
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country’s deputy foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Iran postponed the funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to state media.
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 people died in the U.S. attack on the vessel, Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment