Loading
Search
▼ Chinese Military Aircraft Lock Radar Onto Japanese Fighter Jets
- Category:Other
Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets southeast of Okinawa's main island on Saturday, Japan's Defense Ministry said, amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the two Asian neighbors.
The Chinese navy said Sunday that Japan's SDF aircraft "repeatedly approached the Chinese naval training maritime area and airspace," though it did not refer to the radar lock-on.
Chinese J-15 aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning intermittently locked radar onto the F-15s on two occasions, once from around 4:32 p.m. and again from around 6:37 p.m., the ministry said.
"It is extremely regrettable. Japan has strongly protested to the Chinese side, and we firmly requested measures to prevent recurrence," Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told reporters Sunday in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. "We will respond calmly and resolutely."
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also called the incidents "dangerous and extremely regrettable" at a hastily called press conference in the early hours of Sunday.
It was the first time that the ministry disclosed such an incident. There was no damage to the SDF aircraft or its crew, the ministry said.
The Chinese navy said in a statement that the SDF aircraft "seriously endangered flight safety" by repeatedly approaching its training zones.
A Defense Ministry official, who held a press briefing after Koizumi spoke, said, "China's intentions are unclear, but if it is to locate (aircraft), there is no need to do that intermittently."
Based on the distance between the jets confirmed by the ministry, the Japanese side "didn't do anything that could be considered a provocation," the official said.
A bilateral dispute has been escalating since Takaichi said in response to parliamentary questions on Nov. 7 that a military attack on Taiwan could present a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, drawing harsh criticism from Beijing.
China framed her remarks as indicating that Japan could independently authorize the SDF to act in support of the United States should China impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan or engage in other forms of coercion.
Okinawa is close to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. China insists that the Taiwan issue is purely an "internal affair."
On Saturday, China's navy was conducting training flights in the Pacific Ocean from the Liaoning after the ship passed through the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and the southern Japan prefecture's Miyako Island.
The SDF scrambled aircraft, signaling its assessment that the Chinese planes could approach Japanese airspace.
The Chinese navy said Sunday that Japan's SDF aircraft "repeatedly approached the Chinese naval training maritime area and airspace," though it did not refer to the radar lock-on.
Chinese J-15 aircraft from the aircraft carrier Liaoning intermittently locked radar onto the F-15s on two occasions, once from around 4:32 p.m. and again from around 6:37 p.m., the ministry said.
"It is extremely regrettable. Japan has strongly protested to the Chinese side, and we firmly requested measures to prevent recurrence," Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae told reporters Sunday in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. "We will respond calmly and resolutely."
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also called the incidents "dangerous and extremely regrettable" at a hastily called press conference in the early hours of Sunday.
It was the first time that the ministry disclosed such an incident. There was no damage to the SDF aircraft or its crew, the ministry said.
The Chinese navy said in a statement that the SDF aircraft "seriously endangered flight safety" by repeatedly approaching its training zones.
A Defense Ministry official, who held a press briefing after Koizumi spoke, said, "China's intentions are unclear, but if it is to locate (aircraft), there is no need to do that intermittently."
Based on the distance between the jets confirmed by the ministry, the Japanese side "didn't do anything that could be considered a provocation," the official said.
A bilateral dispute has been escalating since Takaichi said in response to parliamentary questions on Nov. 7 that a military attack on Taiwan could present a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, drawing harsh criticism from Beijing.
China framed her remarks as indicating that Japan could independently authorize the SDF to act in support of the United States should China impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan or engage in other forms of coercion.
Okinawa is close to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. China insists that the Taiwan issue is purely an "internal affair."
On Saturday, China's navy was conducting training flights in the Pacific Ocean from the Liaoning after the ship passed through the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and the southern Japan prefecture's Miyako Island.
The SDF scrambled aircraft, signaling its assessment that the Chinese planes could approach Japanese airspace.
- 7/12 20:11
- Comment (0)
- Trackback(0)