Japan Did Not Interfere With Chinese Jets During Incidents, Defense Minister Says

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Dec. 10 dismissed China’s claims of interference during close encounter incidents over the weekend.

His remarks followed a series of exchanges between Tokyo and Beijing after Japan said two Chinese J-15 fighter jets targeted Japanese F-15s with radar during incidents on Dec. 6.

The incidents, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, happened south of Okinawa, located nearly 400 miles south of mainland Japan in the East China Sea.

Speaking after a review of the encounter, Koizumi said Japan’s assessment contradicted Beijing’s accusations.

“JASDF fighters maintained a safe (beyond-visual-range) distance from both the Chinese fighters and the aircraft carrier,” he said, adding that China’s claim of interference by Japanese aircraft was unfounded.

Koizumi said that Tokyo has no record of prior navigation warnings for training linked to the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning.

“While China claims that prior public notification was made, we are not aware of any NOTAMs or navigation warnings issued beforehand regarding training sea or airspace associated with Liaoning’s carrier-based aircraft,” he said in a statement.

Chinese state-run media, Xinhua News Agency, reported on Dec. 10 that Japanese military aircraft repeatedly approached the training zones and disrupted the exercises. The report follows Dec. 7 remarks by a spokesperson for the Chinese navy, Senior Col. Wang Xuemeng, who accused Japan of intruding into training areas designated to China.

Wang defended China’s flight training near the island of Miyako, saying Beijing announced the exercises beforehand and accused Japanese aircraft of “harassment.”

Japan pushed back against China’s assertion that activating search radars is a normal procedure for ensuring flight safety, saying fighter radars are dual-purpose systems that can be used for both surveillance and fire control.

“The fighter pilot detecting the radar beam cannot clearly discern its intended purpose,” Koizumi said.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense statement added that such radars would not ordinarily be used “in the manner seen in this incident, with intermittent illumination,” describing the Chinese actions as a “dangerous act.”

Koizumi Calls for Dialogue

Despite rising tension, Koizumi said there was a need for continued communication between the two countries.

He said he conveyed this message directly to Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun during their bilateral meeting in Malaysia earlier this month. During the meeting, Koizumi “emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Japan believes it is indispensable for both sides to persistently engage in candid dialogue and communication, without avoiding concrete and difficult issues, precisely because such circumstances exist,” Koizumi reiterated on Dec. 10.

He told reporters on Dec. 5 that Japan was aware of reports of large-scale Chinese activity in the region and was monitoring developments “with great attention.”

After the Dec. 6 incidents, Koizumi held talks on Dec. 7 with Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles. At a joint press conference, the pair criticized China’s conduct in the region, with Marles saying it was routinely at odds with a rules-based order.

He said Australia’s interests lay in protecting freedom of navigation and upholding international maritime law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours,” Marles stated. “Australia and Japan [will] work together to uphold a free and open Indo‑Pacific.”

In response, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson denied the allegations of radar illumination and rejected Japan’s protest. The spokesperson said China lodged a “counter-protest” in Beijing and Tokyo.

Political tensions have also grown following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Nov. 7 about a possible Chinese attack or blockade of Taiwan.

She said such a scenario could create a “survival-threatening situation,” language that might allow Tokyo to authorize military mobilization under Japan’s security laws. Taiwan lies about 60 miles from Japanese territory at its closest point.

In a Nov. 21 letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Fu Cong, described the prime minister’s comments as a threat.

Japan responded in writing, reaffirming that its policy was “exclusively defense-oriented” and rejected Beijing’s accusations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.