On Sunday morning, December 7, Japan accused China of carrying out a dangerous and hostile military exercise off the coast of Okinawa, near the Japanese islands closest to Taiwan.
During an emergency press briefing held at 2 a.m., Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi did not hide his anger: “On two separate occasions, Chinese aircraft directed their fire-control radar at Japanese fighter jets. This is a dangerous act and clearly hostile from a military perspective. It has exceeded what is necessary for the safety of the ongoing Chinese maritime exercise.”
Although the incidents caused no casualties or damage, Koizumi stressed that his government had issued a strong protest to Beijing: “The Japanese government has therefore lodged a formal protest with Beijing and firmly demanded that measures be taken to ensure such a regrettable incident does not happen again.”
According to the Japanese statement, a J-15 fighter jet launched from the Chinese Navy’s aircraft carrier Liaoning intermittently activated its radar to target a Japanese F-15 fighter scrambled to intercept it.
And that was not the end of it. A similar incident occurred roughly two hours later involving another Chinese aircraft from the Liaoning and a different Japanese jet, the ministry added, denouncing “a dangerous act that exceeds what is necessary for flight safety.”
Relations between the two countries have been tense since nationalist Sanae Takaichi became Japan’s prime minister. On November 7, Takaichi stated that if China’s military were ever to block navigation around the island, Japan would have grounds to intervene—militarily if necessary.
On Friday, the Japanese embassy in Beijing advised its nationals living in China to exercise the utmost caution.
What's happening in Tunisia?
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for updates.
