A 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 – a tactical precursor to missile engagement – on its F-15J fighter jets.

The first incident happened between 4.32pm and 4.35pm local time over international airspace southeast of Okinawa’s main island, while the second happened between 6.37pm and 7.08pm.

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.

This marks the first time Japan has publicly accused a Chinese military aircraft of using fire-control radar – indicating a potential weapons lock – against its forces.