cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5998772

Japan has protested after Chinese fighter jets locked radars on Japanese aircraft as tensions between the two nations worsened.

Locking radar onto an aircraft is considered a threat because it can signal a potential attack. Japan said there were two such incidents Saturday off its southern Okinawa islands.

Japan said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Chinese J-15 fighter jets, while Beijing accused Tokyo of “harassing” its forces during a training exercise. No injuries or damage were reported.

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Last week, China and Japan’s coast guards gave conflicting accounts of a confrontation near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

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A Japanese defence ministry official said the intention of the Chinese J-15 jets was “unclear”, but added that … the Japanese aircraft “did not do anything that could be considered a provocation”.

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This comes two weeks after Japan scrambled aircraft when a suspected Chinese drone was detected off Yonaguni, island near Taiwan. Tokyo has said it is planning to deploy missiles from Yonaguni in a move that has angered Beijing.

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