Chinese J-15 fighters, taking off from the aircraft carrier Liaoning, twice aimed at Japanese F-15 fighters southeast of Okinawa, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced, noting that Tokyo had delivered a protest note to Beijing.
„It is extremely unfortunate that this happened. We have lodged a protest with the Chinese side and requested that measures be taken to prevent such an incident," he said.
"This was a dangerous action that went beyond what was necessary for safe flight," Koizumi added.
According to him, the first incident occurred southeast of Okinawa, where over international waters a Chinese J-15 fighter jet taking off from the aircraft carrier Liaoning aimed its radar at a Japanese F-15 fighter jet prepared to intercept it for three minutes. The second incident, which lasted 31 minutes, occurred under similar circumstances and in the same area two hours later.
The incidents came amid a sharp deterioration in relations after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said during a parliamentary debate that a possible military crisis near Taiwan would pose an "existential threat" that could force Japan to invoke its "right of collective self-defense." This caused strong discontent in Beijing, which issued a serious rebuke to Tokyo.
The Chinese Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, threatened on social media to "cut off the head" of the Japanese prime minister, but the post was later deleted. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then warned its compatriots not to travel to Japan.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taipei has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the communists came to power. According to Beijing's official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, it is one of the regions of the PRC.