China and Japan clash over fighter jet radar incident near Okinawa

Beijing escalated its war of words with Tokyo after Japan said Chinese warplanes targeted fire control radar at Japanese F-15s flying near Okinawa; Tokyo called this action “dangerous” and “extremely regrettable”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in Beijing that “Japan is threatening China militarily” after the radar incident, and described this attitude as “completely unacceptable”. Reuters reported.

According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Wang accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of “trying to exploit the Taiwan issue (the region that Japan has colonized for half a century, committing countless crimes against the Chinese people) to create trouble and threaten China militarily. This is absolutely unacceptable.” He added that Japan should act more carefully as a “defeated country” in World War II.

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China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital: “China appears to be looking to start a war against Japan on Saturday with its radar lock events and other recent aggressive actions. In any case, these events could easily escalate into war, especially since China has failed to act constructively or de-escalate tensions.”

Japanese officials say the conflict arose on Dec. 6, when Chinese J-15 fighter jets taking off from the Liaoning aircraft carrier twice targeted radars at Japanese F-15s over international waters near Japan’s Okinawa islands.

“These radar illuminations are a dangerous action that goes beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft,” Takaichi told reporters, Reuters reported. He added that Japan had lodged a protest with China and described the incident as “extremely regrettable”.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, whose warnings about the Taiwan crisis angered Beijing, is in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Japan’s government later said the Self-Defense Force fighters “maintained a safe distance during their mission” and rejected China’s accusation that its jets were interfering with Chinese operations, based on comments by Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara. Associated Press.

The radar skirmish came on the heels of Takaichi’s comments that had already strained relations. He told parliament in early November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan and potentially trigger a military response under Japan’s 2015 security laws, Reuters reported. Beijing condemned the comments as “appalling”, accused Tokyo of serious interference in its internal affairs and warned of “serious consequences” if they did not withdraw.

A J-20 stealth fighter jet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force performs at the China International Aerospace Expo, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, China’s Guangdong province, on November 9, 2022. (China Daily via Reuters)

Chinese officials and state media have since portrayed Takaichi as someone who exaggerated an external threat to justify Japan’s military build-up and closer cooperation with Taiwan. In parallel, Chinese spokesmen accused Japan of “deliberately making a false accusation” to “escalate” the radar incident and increase tensions, according to official statements by the People’s Daily and other Chinese publications.

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J-20 fighter jets fly in the sky during the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) aviation open day events and flight performance at the Changchun Air Show 2025 in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, on September 19, 2025. (Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images) (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Chang said, “China has failed to get Prime Minister Takaichi to back down, so there are choices between either accepting his humiliation or escalating the crisis further. It will escalate. China is now proving Takaichi right: Beijing is creating a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan.”