Japan Summons Chinese Envoy Over Alleged Fighter Jet Radar Lock as Tensions Spike

Updated by Eric Kikomeko at 1344 EAT on Monday 8 December 2025

Japan has summoned China’s ambassador after Chinese military aircraft allegedly twice locked fire-control radar onto Japanese fighter jets, escalating already rising tensions between the two countries.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest on Sunday, condemning what it described as the dangerous and “extremely regrettable” actions of two Chinese J-15 fighters over international waters southeast of Okinawa’s main island the previous day.

Japan said fighter jets from China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning aimed fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft scrambled to monitor the vessel — allegations the Chinese embassy has denied.

Illuminating an aircraft with such radar is widely viewed as a precursor to attack, potentially forcing the targeted plane to take evasive action and ranking among the most provocative manoeuvres a military jet can carry out.

The summoning of Ambassador Wu Jianghao comes amid sharply deteriorating relations between Beijing and Tokyo, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement last month that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — a remark interpreted as signalling that Tokyo would consider military intervention.

Beijing reacted angrily to Takaichi’s comments, triggering a fierce diplomatic row. China has summoned Japan’s ambassador, lodged a protest with the United Nations, warned its citizens against travelling to Japan, and reinstated a ban on Japanese seafood imports. Cultural events featuring Japanese performers or films have also faced cancellations.

Tensions escalated over the weekend as China and Japan traded sharp accusations following a close encounter between Japanese fighter jets and Chinese naval aircraft.

On Sunday, the Chinese Navy claimed that Japanese F-15s had repeatedly approached one of its training areas, allegedly endangering flight safety. Japan rejected the allegation the following day, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara calling the claims “unfounded.”

According to Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, roughly 100 take-offs and landings were carried out from a Chinese aircraft carrier as it sailed eastward into the Pacific Ocean past the Okinawa Islands over the weekend.

Kihara said Japan would “respond calmly but firmly” while continuing to monitor Chinese military activity near its waters. He dismissed Beijing’s assertion that Japanese aircraft had interfered with safe flight operations.

The Chinese embassy in Tokyo issued its own rebuke, urging Japan to “stop smearing and slandering,” to rein in its frontline forces, and to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Japan hosts the largest contingent of U.S. forces stationed abroad, including thousands of Marines based in Okinawa. Washington’s ambassador to Japan has expressed support for Tokyo amid the dispute, though U.S. President Donald Trump—who is expected to visit China next year for trade talks—has so far refrained from commenting publicly on the matter

Credit to Aljazeera.

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