Japan, US defence chiefs cover radar row and other China tensions in phone call

US and Japanese defence chiefs spoke on the phone on Friday about the recent confrontation between Chinese and Japan Self-Defence Force fighter jets, as Tokyo said it did not seek to escalate the tensions.

During the call, Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth engaged in a “candid exchange” of views on the “rapidly deteriorating” security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Japanese defence ministry release.

“The two sides stated serious concerns about any actions that heighten tensions in the region, expressing that China’s actions do not contribute to peace and stability in the region,” the ministry said in the release which it posted on social media.

Koizumi added that Japan did not seek escalation, was responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals and was keeping the door open for dialogue, according to the ministry.

The pair agreed to maintain close communication and coordination between Tokyo and Washington and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities with continued urgency, it said.

02:49

China reveals radio communications heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighters

According to Tokyo, there were two incidents on Saturday in international airspace near Japan’s Okinawa islands in which Chinese J-15 aircraft locked fire-control radar onto Japanese F-15 jets – a prelude to directing weapons towards a target for a potential attack.

South China Morning Post