Overview
- Japan reports two radar-targeting incidents by Chinese fighters near the Okinawa islands on Saturday and calls the actions dangerous.
- Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi says the Chinese aircraft entered Japanese airspace, Japan scrambled fighters, and no damage or injuries occurred.
- Tokyo says it filed a formal protest with China and that Beijing has not issued a public statement on the incidents.
- The run-ins follow Beijing’s pressure over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, including travel warnings, flight cuts, and a seafood import ban.
- Plans to deploy missiles on Yonaguni have drawn Chinese criticism as Japan sends senior diplomats to try to ease the dispute.