STORY: ::Japan's defense chief tells his Australian counterpart Chinese fighter jets aimed radar at Japanese military aircraft
::Tokyo, Japan / December 7, 2025
::Shinjiro Koizumi, Japanese Defense Minister
"Yesterday, there were two incidents where Chinese military aircraft directed radar at Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft. Such actions go beyond what is necessary for safe flight and constitute dangerous behavior. We lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and firmly demanded measures to prevent such actions from recurring."
::Beijing has disputed Tokyo's accounts, and said Japanese aircraft repeatedly approached and disrupted the Chinese navy
Koizumi, meeting with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Tokyo, said Japan would respond "resolutely and calmly" to China's conduct in order to maintain regional peace and stability.
Directing a radar beam at another aircraft is a threatening step because it signals a potential attack and may force the targeted plane to take evasive action. Japan did not say whether the Chinese had locked on their planes or how Japan's aircraft responded.
A Chinese navy spokesperson, Colonel Wang Xuemeng, said Japanese aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted the Chinese navy as it was conducting previously announced carrier-based flight training east of the Miyako Strait.
