Tokyo [Japan], December 8: Japan's defence minister said Chinese fighter jets had targeted Japanese aircraft with fire-control radar in two separate incidents near the southern Okinawa island chain on Saturday.
Shinjiro Koizumi told a news conference that Chinese military aircraft activated the radar system - used to track and lock on to targets - against Japanese jets, calling the incidents "dangerous and extremely regrettable." He added that Tokyo had lodged a strong protest and demanded that Beijing prevent a repeat.
China's navy rejected Japan's account, saying the aircraft carrier formation had been conducting exercises in the area as planned. Japanese aircraft, it said, repeatedly approached the zone in an attempt to disrupt the drills. Navy spokesman Wang Xuemeng called on Japan to stop making what he described as false accusations. The incident comes amid a heated dispute after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that a Chinese attack on democratic Taiwan would pose an "existential threat" that could prompt Japan to exercise its right to self-defence. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune