Overview
- Japan’s Defense Ministry confirmed the carrier Liaoning linked up with a supply ship near Okinotori, enabling an estimated month‑long deployment and roughly 140 takeoffs and landings over three days.
- Chinese state media released radio audio it says shows on‑scene notification to a nearby JMSDF destroyer and claimed Chinese forces sensed the Japanese jet’s radar, a claim Japan says did not amount to sufficient advance information.
- The Dec. 6 episode involved a J‑15 illuminating a JASDF F‑15 at beyond‑visual range, with reporting indicating an initial lock at about 50 kilometers and a second at more than 100 kilometers.
- Tokyo lodged protests through diplomatic and defense channels immediately after the incident and continues heightened air and maritime monitoring east of Okinawa.
- The U.S. State Department said China’s actions do not contribute to regional peace and stability, and South Korea reported separate China–Russia aircraft entering its air defense identification zone on Dec. 9 without an airspace violation.