A near dogfight between Japan and China — according to the latter, involving the rare use of fire-control radar to target its warplanes — has further escalated tensions between the two powers amid fears that clashes are growing more provocative.
China and Japan have spent much of the past two years embroiled in an increasingly heated dispute over territorial claims in the East China Sea, with both sides launching manoeuvres in support of this.
But the latest clash on June 17 threatened to turn dangerous, according to a statement by China’s ministry of defence on Monday, when Japanese warplanes used fire-control radar to “light up” Chinese counterparts and released infrared flares during evasive manoeuvres. Japan’s deputy chief of cabinet on Tuesday denied China’s claims.