The Chinese military on Dec 9 released audio data indicating it had notified Japan of a planned carrier-based aircraft flight training prior to a weekend incident in which radar was locked on Japanese fighter jets, further heightening bilateral tensions.
Tokyo has strongly protested over the Dec 6 action by the Chinese military aircraft on Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) fighters south-east of Okinawa’s main island, but Beijing has lodged a counterprotest, claiming that “frequent close-in reconnaissance and disruptions” by Japanese jets caused the security risk.
Japan maintains that its jets kept a “safe distance” from Chinese military aircraft, with Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also disputing the Chinese navy’s claim that training areas were announced in advance.
The minister noted on Dec 9 that China did not publish any prior notices regarding drills, such as in the form of “notices to air missions”, or NOTAMs, as is customary before such occasions.
The released audio data purportedly reveals a Chinese navy ship giving prior notice of the flight drill in Chinese and English, with a Japanese defence vessel responding in English that it had received the message.
Chinese J-15 aircraft from the carrier Liaoning intermittently locked radar on an ASDF F-15 from 4.32pm to 4.35pm, and then on another F-15 from 6.37pm to 7.08pm over high seas on Dec 6, according to the Japanese Defence Ministry.
The ASDF scrambled F-15s following an assessment that the Chinese planes could approach Japanese airspace.
In releasing the audio data, the Chinese military said the Japanese warplanes entered a training zone for its aircraft, approaching to within 50km. The Chinese fighters also detected radar search signals from the Japanese aircraft, which came into the Chinese side’s radar search range, the military added.
Sources familiar with the matter said the Chinese military locked radar from about 50km away on the first occasion and from more than 110km away on the second occasion.
Fighter jet radar systems are designed to search the surrounding areas and collect data such as a target’s distance and velocity for the aircraft’s fire control system. Radar locks can be considered a hostile act as they indicate preparations to fire weapons.
On Dec 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated that activating search radar during flight training is “commonly done” by carrier-based aircraft of all countries, adding that it is also a “normal measure to ensure flight safety”.
The Japanese Defence Ministry said Chinese aircraft aboard the carrier Liaoning conducted about 140 training take-offs and landings in the Pacific between Dec 6 and 8. [KYODO NEWS]
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