ISTANBUL

China on Tuesday said it is "common practice" for carrier-borne aircraft to switch on their radar during training, in response to Japan’s protest over a recent incident.

"It is a common practice for carrier-borne aircraft to turn on search radars during flying training, which is a normal move to ensure flight safety," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing, state-run Global Times reported.

Guo's comments come after Japan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that Chinese J-15 aircraft from the carrier Liaoning locked radar on two Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) F-15 jets over the high seas southeast of Okinawa's main island.

China has "clarified its solemn position on this issue, and the facts are very clear," Guo said.

"Instead, I suggest that the journalists ask the Japanese side why the fighter jets of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) were appearing in the relevant area to create this dangerous incident that should not have occurred. Were they deliberately disrupting the Chinese side’s normal exercises and training and stirring up tensions?" Guo asked.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo following Nov. 7 comments by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in which she said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally constitute a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially allowing Japan to “exercise the right of collective self-defense.”

China sharply criticized the comments, urged tourists not to visit Japan, suspended seafood imports, and also postponed a trilateral culture ministers’ meeting with Japan and South Korea.

Taiwan is claimed by Beijing and also lies near Japan’s Yonaguni Island. 9 Dec 2025 Tue 18:3