Tokyo accuses Chinese fighters of locking on Japanese jets northeast of Taiwan

Japan says J-15 fighters used fire-control radar in ‘dangerous act’, while China accuses Japanese planes of disturbing navy drills

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A Chinese J-15 fighter jet prepares to land on the Liaoning aircraft carrier in this photo released in December 2021. Tokyo says fighters like these locked on Japanese jets in a rare military encounter on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 12:16pm, 7 Dec 2025Updated: 9:59pm, 7 Dec 2025

A rare military stand-off unfolded northeast of Taiwan near the Miyako Strait on Saturday, when Japan claimed that Chinese naval fighters had intermittently beamed fire-control radars – a tactical precursor to missile engagement – on its F-15J jets.

Responding on Sunday, Beijing said Japanese jets had intruded on a People’s Liberation Army naval drill by flying too close to its aircraft carrier fleet.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Defence, J-15 fighters launched from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier performed two separate instances of radar targeting. The first incident happened between 4.32pm and 4.35pm local time over international airspace southeast of Okinawa’s main island, while the second happened between 6.37pm and 7.08pm.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi labelled the action a “dangerous act” beyond the scope of safe flight operations and said Tokyo had formally protested to Beijing.

This marks the first time Japan has publicly accused a Chinese military aircraft of using fire-control radar – indicating a potential weapons lock – against its forces. Japanese fighter jets locked on Chinese jets in 2017, according to previous reports.

Wang Xuemeng, a spokesman for the PLA Navy, said on Sunday that the Liaoning aircraft carrier and fleet had been conducting “regular flight training in a designated sea and airspace” that had been previously announced.

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Tokyo accuses Chinese fighters of locking on Japanese jets northeast of Taiwan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Japan says J-15 fighters used fire-control radar in ‘dangerous act’, while China accuses Japanese planes of disturbing navy drills

Japan says J-15 fighters used fire-control radar in ‘dangerous act’, while China accuses Japanese planes of disturbing navy drills