Japan’s defense minister denied receiving navigational warnings from China regarding its naval training exercise prior to Saturday’s incident in which a Chinese military aircraft targeted its radar at Self-Defense Forces aircraft.
“China claims to have announced the training airspace and sea area in advance, but we are not aware of any such prior notification,” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday at a lower house budget committee meeting. The incident occurred over international waters near the coast of Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
On Tuesday evening, a social media account affiliated with China Central Television posted that China had notified Japan in advance via radio about training involving carrier-based aircraft, and that Japan had responded.
The post added that the Chinese aircraft activated its search radar because an SDF fighter approached within 50 kilometers. It also said the Chinese aircraft had received radar signals from the Japan SDF aircraft.
“This differs considerably from the facts,” said a senior official at Japan’s Foreign Ministry. “China is in a difficult position and is likely fabricating a variety of things to disseminate.”
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