Japan says Chinese J-15 fighters used fire-control radar on its warplanes in \u2018dangerous act\u2019 near the Miyako Strait.<\/b>
\nA rare military confrontation occurred in the waters northeast of Taiwan near the Miyako Strait on Saturday when Japan claimed that Chinese naval fighters had conducted intermittent fire-control radar illumination \u2013 a tactical precursor to missile engagement \u2013 on its F-15J fighter jets.
According to Japan\u2019s Ministry of Defence, J-15 fighters launched from China\u2019s Liaoning aircraft carrier performed two separate instances of radar targeting.
The first incident happened between 4.32pm and 4.35pm local time over international airspace southeast of Okinawa\u2019s main island, while the second happened between 6.37pm and 7.08pm.
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi labelled the action a \u201cdangerous act\u201d beyond the scope of safe flight operations and said Tokyo had formally protested to Beijing.
This marks the first time Japan has publicly accused a Chinese military aircraft of using fire-control radar \u2013 indicating a potential weapons lock \u2013 against its forces.
Japanese fighter jets locked on Chinese jets in 2017, according to previous reports.<\/p>\n