On December 7, 2025, Chinese J-15 carrier-based fighters directed fire-control radar at Japanese F-15 jets in two separate incidents near Okinawa, prompting Japan to summon China’s ambassador in protest.
The Incident
The Chinese J-15 fighters launched from the aircraft carrier Liaoning and locked their fire-control radar onto Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15s over international waters near Okinawa.
Fire-control radar is used to guide weapons to their targets. Locking radar onto another aircraft is typically the final step before firing missiles, making it an extremely hostile and dangerous action in military aviation.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the incidents at a 2:00 a.m. press conference, calling them “extremely regrettable” and “dangerous” acts that “exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”
Japan’s Response
Japan’s vice Foreign Minister summoned Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao on Sunday to lodge a formal protest and urge Beijing to prevent similar actions in the future.
Koizumi said the Japanese F-15s maintained a “safe distance” from Chinese aircraft and that the radar lock-ons were “dangerous acts beyond what was necessary for the safe flight of aircraft.”
China’s Position
China denied Japan’s account and issued counter-protests. Beijing claimed Japanese aircraft “repeatedly approached and disrupted” Chinese naval training and “seriously endangered flight safety.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Monday: “We strongly urge the Japanese side to stop harassing the normal drill practices and stop all kinds of irresponsible hype and political manipulation.”
The Liaoning Carrier Group
The incidents occurred as China’s Liaoning carrier strike group operated near Japan in an unusual pattern. The carrier and three guided missile destroyers traveled northeast from the Miyako Strait toward waters off Kyushu and Japan’s eastern coast.
By late Sunday, the strike group was approximately 190 kilometers east of Kikai Island.
Rising Tensions
The radar lock incidents come amid deteriorating relations between China and Japan over Taiwan. Tensions escalated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated in November that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Japan has been fortifying its southwestern islands as part of its largest military buildup in four decades. Yonaguni Island, just 110 kilometers from Taiwan, has become a key defensive position.
In December 2025, China deployed over 100 naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters in the largest maritime show of force in the region’s history.
The December 7 radar lock incidents mark a dangerous escalation in Japan-China military confrontations. With both nations conducting operations in close proximity and diplomatic relations deteriorating, the risk of miscalculation in the waters and skies near Okinawa has reached a critical level.
