Tokyo, Japan – December 7, 2025 – Japan and China exchanged sharp accusations on Sunday following two dangerous aerial encounters involving fighter jets over international waters southeast of Okinawa, the latest and most serious escalation in a month-long diplomatic crisis that has driven bilateral relations to their lowest point in years.
Japan’s Defense Ministry stated that on Saturday afternoon, two Chinese J-15 fighters launched from the aircraft carrier Liaoning repeatedly locked their fire-control radars onto Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15 jets. The first lock-on lasted approximately three minutes around 4:30 p.m., while the second continued intermittently for more than 30 minutes beginning at 6:37 p.m. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the actions “extremely dangerous” and a clear escalation beyond normal interception procedures. Tokyo immediately lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Beijing and demanded concrete measures to prevent any recurrence.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi personally addressed the incident on Sunday morning, urging China to “take responsibility and prevent radar locks on Japanese aircraft in the future.” She described the maneuvers as unacceptable provocations that threaten regional peace and stability.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy offered a sharply different account. A navy spokesperson stated that the Liaoning carrier group was conducting routine takeoff and landing exercises east of the Miyako Strait when Japanese military aircraft “repeatedly approached” the training area, carried out “harassment,” and seriously disrupted normal operations. The spokesperson accused Japan of endangering flight safety, demanded an immediate end to such activities, and warned that the PLA Navy would take all necessary measures to safeguard China’s security and legitimate rights.
The confrontation occurred as the Liaoning, accompanied by several destroyers, sailed through waters roughly 200 kilometers southeast of Okinawa while conducting carrier-based flight operations — an area Japan routinely monitors to ensure no violation of its airspace occurs.
The incident is the most serious aerial encounter between the two militaries since 2013 and comes against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating relationship triggered by Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks on November 7. In a parliamentary session, she became the first sitting Japanese leader to explicitly state that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan would legally constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially triggering Tokyo’s right to exercise collective self-defense alongside the United States. Given Taiwan’s proximity — Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost point, lies just 110 kilometers from Taiwan — Takaichi argued that any conflict in the Taiwan Strait would directly threaten Japan’s security, energy supply lines, and sea lanes.
Beijing reacted with fury, labeling the comments a gross interference in China’s internal affairs and a dangerous shift in Japan’s Taiwan policy. Within days, China reinstated a complete ban on Japanese seafood imports (a measure originally imposed in 2023 over Fukushima treated-water concerns but later eased), issued travel advisories warning Chinese citizens against visiting Japan, and indefinitely postponed a trilateral culture ministers’ meeting with Japan and South Korea. Bookings by Chinese tourists to Japan have fallen more than 40 percent, and several major Japanese films and anime releases have been pulled from Chinese theaters.
Military activities have also intensified. Japan has increased surveillance flights and maritime patrols around the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu in China), while Chinese coast guard vessels have maintained near-daily presence in the contiguous zone. The Liaoning’s current deployment marks its first transit of the Miyako Strait since the diplomatic freeze began.
Analysts describe the radar-lock incidents as a deliberate signal from Beijing of its displeasure and a test of Japan’s resolve. Fire-control radar illumination is widely regarded in military aviation as a hostile act one step short of firing a missile, intended to intimidate while stopping short of open conflict.
In Tokyo, public support for Takaichi’s firm stance has risen, with recent polls showing her approval rating climbing to 58 percent as many Japanese express growing concern over China’s rapid military expansion and increasingly assertive behavior in the East China Sea. In Beijing, state media have portrayed Japan as a willing proxy for U.S. containment efforts and accused Tokyo of reviving historical militarism.
Both sides maintain open military hotlines established after previous crises, but trust remains extremely low. With the Liaoning group expected to return through the same waters in the coming days and Japanese patrols continuing unabated, regional allies including the United States and Australia have called for maximum restraint to avoid miscalculation.
The weekend’s events serve as a stark reminder that, in one of the world’s most heavily militarized maritime regions, a brief radar lock can carry the weight of a major diplomatic confrontation — and raise the specter of how quickly an accident could spiral into something far more serious.
