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The diplomatic dispute between Japan and China<\/a> appeared to deepen over the weekend after Chinese military planes were accused of locking their radar on to Japanese fighter jets near the Okinawa islands.<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, vowed to \u201crespond calmly and resolutely\u201d to the alleged incident, saying her country would take all possible measures to strengthen maritime and airspace surveillance and closely monitor Chinese military activities. The country\u2019s foreign ministry also summoned China\u2019s ambassador on Sunday. China\u2019s government has roundly rejected Japan\u2019s accusations, instead lodging its own counterprotests.<\/p>\n The alleged incident occurred south east of Okinawa\u2019s main islands, where China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA) said it was conducting \u201cfar-sea training\u201d. Japan\u2019s defence ministry said it recorded about 100 fighter jet take-offs from China\u2019s Liaoning aircraft carrier.<\/p>\n The ministry said Chinese J-15 fighter aircraft from that carrier directed their fire-control radar on to Japanese F-15s twice \u2013 at 4.32pm and again about two hours later on Saturday. Visual confirmation was not possible due to the distances involved, it said, and no damage or injuries were caused.<\/p>\n A fire-control radar lock is one of the most threatening acts a military aircraft can take because it signals a potential attack, forcing the targeted aircraft to take evasive action.<\/p>\n It was the first time Japan\u2019s defence ministry has disclosed a radar lock by Chinese warplanes, Japan\u2019s Kyodo news agency reported.<\/p>\n The Japanese defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said on Sunday the incident was \u201cdangerous and extremely regrettable\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThese radar illuminations went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On Sunday vice-foreign minister Funakoshi Takehiro summoned China\u2019s ambassador, Wu Jianghao, and \u201cmade a strong protest that such dangerous acts are extremely regrettable\u201d, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n China has disputed Japan\u2019s claims as \u201ccompletely inconsistent with the facts\u201d, instead accusing Japan\u2019s self-defence forces of having \u201cmaliciously followed and harassed\u201d its Liaoning aircraft carrier group while it was conducting training drills.<\/p>\n The Japan side was \u201crepeatedly sending aircraft to intrude into the exercise and training zones that China had demarcated and announced in advance,\u201d said senior Col Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China\u2019s defence ministry, on Sunday.<\/p>\n A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Sunday told Japan to \u201cimmediately stop its dangerous moves of harassing China\u2019s normal military exercise and training\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Japanese side, by hyping up the so-called issue of \u2018radar illumination\u2019, is deliberately making a false accusation against China to build up tension and mislead the international community,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The incident is the latest in weeks of spiralling bilateral disputes, which began after comments by Takaichi \u2013 that a PLA attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military involvement in the conflict \u2013 sparked outrage in China.<\/p>\n Insisting that Japan could exercise its right to collective self-defence \u2013 or coming to the aid of an ally \u2013 Takaichi said Tokyo had to \u201canticipate a worst-case scenario\u201d in the Taiwan Strait. The remarks prompted Donald Trump to urge Takaichi to avoid further escalation<\/a> in a dispute with China.<\/p>\n Takaichi has refused to withdraw her remarks, saying that Japan\u2019s position has not changed. Japan\u2019s postwar constitution forbids it from using force as a means of settling international disputes but a 2015 amendment<\/a> \u2013 passed when Takaichi\u2019s mentor, Shinzo Abe, was prime minister \u2013 permits it to exercise collective self-defence in certain situations, even if it is not directly under attack.<\/p>\n