China sharpens confrontation with Japan following reported radar run-in

Beijing escalated its war of words with Tokyo after Japan said Chinese fighter jets aimed a fire-control radar at Japanese F-15s flying near Okinawa, an action Tokyo called "dangerous" and "extremely regrettable."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in Beijing that "Japan is threatening China militarily," a stance he called "completely unacceptable," after the radar incident, Reuters reported.

Wang accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of "trying to exploit the Taiwan question — the very territory Japan colonized for half a century, committing countless crimes against the Chinese people — to provoke trouble and threaten China militarily. This is completely unacceptable," Wang said, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. He added that Japan, as a World War II "defeated nation," should act with greater caution.

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China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital, "China, with Saturday’s radar-lock incidents against Japan and other belligerent acts recently, looks like it wants to start a war. In any event, these incidents could easily spiral into war, especially because China cannot act constructively or deescalate."

Japanese officials say the confrontation unfolded Dec. 6, when Chinese J-15 fighter jets operating from the aircraft carrier Liaoning twice aimed radar at Japanese F-15s over international waters near Japan’s Okinawa islands.

"These radar illuminations are a dangerous act that goes beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft," Takaichi told reporters, adding that Japan had lodged a protest with China and calling the incident "extremely regrettable," Reuters reported.

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Japan’s government later said the Self-Defense Force fighters "were maintaining a safe distance during their mission" and denied China’s accusation that its jets obstructed Chinese operations, according to comments by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, according to The Associated Press.

The radar clash came on the heels of remarks by Takaichi that have already put relations on edge. In early November, she told parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and potentially trigger a military response under Japan’s 2015 security laws, Reuters reported. Beijing condemned those comments as "egregious," accused Tokyo of severe interference in its internal affairs and warned of "serious consequences" if they were not retracted.

Chinese officials and state media have since portrayed Takaichi as hyping up an external threat to justify Japan’s military buildup and closer alignment with Taiwan. In parallel, Chinese spokespeople have accused Japan of "hyping up" the radar incident itself and "deliberately making a false accusation" to build tension, according to official statements carried by People’s Daily and other Chinese outlets.

Chang said, "China has not been able to get Prime Minister Takaichi to back down, so its choices are to accept its humiliation or ramp up the crisis. It will ramp up. China is now proving Takaichi right: Beijing is creating a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan."