Japan keeps tabs on 4 Chinese navy ships near Okinawa after weekend stand-off

The Liaoning and three guided missile destroyers were sailing northeast in the waters between Okinawa and Minami-Daito islands, and in waters around 190km (118 miles) east of Kikai Island, Japan’s defence ministry said on Sunday night.

Furthermore, around 50 take-offs and landings by carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters were observed on both Saturday and Sunday, the ministry said. It said Japan had flown Air Self-Defence Force fighter jets in response.

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The day before, Japan claimed that Chinese naval fighters had intermittently beamed fire-control radars – a tactical precursor to missile engagement – on its F-15 jets. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi labelled the action a “dangerous act” beyond the scope of safe flight operations and said Tokyo had formally protested to Beijing.

China had in turn dismissed the claim as “hype” and “inconsistent with the facts”. A spokesman for the Chinese navy said on Saturday that China had only been conducting “regular flight training in a designated sea and airspace” that had been previously announced, and that Japanese forces had interfered with normal training and posed a threat to flight safety.

The incident is set to further fuel tensions between the two countries, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month made comments that a crisis in the Taiwan Strait could justify military intervention, which Beijing said crossed a red line.

Since then, Beijing has suspended imports of Japanese seafood, advised citizens not to travel or study in Japan, cut intergovernmental and cultural exchanges and cancelled Japanese films and performances in China.

South China Morning Post