China Locks Radar on Japan’s F-15s as Philippines Jet Targeted by Flares

China has escalated tensions in Asia after a J-15 fighter reportedly locked its fire-control radar onto Japan’s F-15s—an act considered just one step short of a missile launch. At the same time, Chinese forces allegedly fired flares at a Philippine surveillance aircraft near Subi Reef. Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. are on high alert as fears grow of a regional military confrontation involving Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the Ryukyu Islands. This video breaks down every detail of the dangerous encounters and what comes next for Asia.

#China #Japan #Philippines #SouthChinaSea #BreakingNews #AsiaTensions #Geopolitics

Transcript

00:00Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled F-15S southeast of Okinawa after Chinese aircraft

00:08approached. But this time, Tokyo says, a Chinese J-15 fighter went far beyond a simple intercept.

00:16According to Japan's defense ministry, the J-15, flying from the carrier Liaoning,

00:22twice directed its fire control radar at Japanese jets — exactly the type of radar used to lock

00:28a missile onto a target. In one incident, the lock-on reportedly lasted several minutes.

00:35In the other, it continued for around half an hour as Japanese fighters monitored the Chinese formation

00:41over international waters. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the actions

00:47dangerous and extremely regrettable, saying they exceeded what is required for safe flight

00:53and risked leading to an accidental clash. Tokyo has lodged a strong protest with Beijing

01:00and demanded measures to prevent a repeat, warning that such behavior undermines regional peace and

01:06stability. The radar confrontations come as relations between Tokyo and Beijing are already inflamed.

01:14Prime Minister Sanae Takeuchi has warned that a Taiwan emergency could pose an existential threat to Japan,

01:22hardening Tokyo's line on Chinese military activity around the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan Strait.

01:29Chinese officials and state media have lashed back, with one diplomat posting language that Japanese

01:36politicians interpreted as a veiled death threat before it was deleted, prompting a formal Japanese protest.

01:44Inside Tokyo, officials are not just angry with China, they are frustrated with Washington.

01:50Reports say Japan has been privately urging President Donald Trump to issue clearer public backing

01:56after the radar incidents and the campaign of pressure on Takai-chi. Instead, Trump's comments about some

02:03allies, not really being our friends, have fueled anxiety that the United States may not respond as

02:09forcefully as Tokyo wants if tensions with China keep rising. Further south, the Philippines is dealing

02:17with its own aerial intimidation. Manila says a Cessna Grand Caravan Patrol aircraft was flying a routine

02:24mission near China-occupied Subi Reef when Chinese forces fired multiple flares toward the plane.

02:31The flares did not hit the aircraft, but Philippine officials released footage and called the move

02:37a dangerous maneuver that could have endangered the crew and damaged the plane. This is only the latest

02:43in a long list of confrontations. Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia ships have previously blasted

02:50Philippine vessels with water cannons, used military-grade lasers and carried out blocking and ramming

02:57tactics around 2nd Thomas Shoal and other disputed features. By adding aerial flare warnings to the mix,

03:05Beijing is signaling that it is prepared to challenge not only Philippine ships but also its surveillance

03:11flights over waters. An international tribunal has already said Beijing has no right to control.

03:18Locking fire control radar onto a foreign jet is widely seen by militaries as one step short of pulling

03:26the trigger because the same system would be used in the opening seconds of an actual missile attack.

03:33Combined with flare barrages in the South China Sea, these incidents show China testing how far it can

03:39push Japan, the Philippines and their US ally without crossing the threshold into open combat. For now,

03:47Tokyo and Manila are responding with protests, video releases and calls for stronger US backing,

03:54rather than shots of their own. But every new radar lock and every near-miss in contested airspace

04:01increases the risk that a pilot misreads a signal, a missile system miscalculates,

04:07and Asia's cold confrontation in the skies suddenly turns hot.

China Locks Radar on Japan’s F-15s as Philippines Jet Targeted by Flares | Asia Tensions Spike

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