Japan said on Sunday that Chinese fighter jets had directed fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two “dangerous” incidents near Japan’s Okinawa islands, an account Beijing denied.

Japan has formally protested after Chinese shipborne fighters locked their radars onto Japanese F-15J aircraft during carrier operations near Okinawa, marking an escalation in regional tensions.

Japan on Sunday (Dec 7) accused Chinese fighter jets of aiming fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two separate incidents near the Okinawa island chain—an action Tokyo described as exceptionally hazardous and indicative of escalating military friction between the two rivals.

In this photo provided by Japan’s Ministry of Defense, a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber, center, is seen close to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft, partly seen at left, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force over the East China Sea on July 9, 2025.

Japan says Chinese fighter jets aimed radar at its aircraft in a “dangerous” encounter near Okinawa, a claim China strongly disputes.

A Chinese Xi'an JH-7 supersonic, twin-seat combat aircraft flies close to a Japanese YS-11EB surveillance aircraft in July 2025. (Japan Ministry of Defense) Just a few weeks after Tokyo complained about a Chinese combat aircraft having flown abnormally ...

By Tim Kelly, Kiyoshi Takenaka and David Kirton TOKYO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Japan said on Sunday that Chinese fighter jets had directed fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two "dangerous" incidents near Japan's Okinawa islands,