US-Japan Alliance Stands Firm Amidst Rising Tensions with China

The US criticized China for targeting radars at Japanese military aircraft during a training exercise near Okinawa, escalating tensions with Japan. China defends its actions as legal, while the US and Japan emphasize their strong alliance. The incident is the most serious between the militaries in years.

The United States has openly criticized China's actions for the first time, pointing to an incident where Chinese radar systems were directed at Japanese military aircraft during a recent training exercise. This development has heightened tensions between China and Japan, both of which have presented differing narratives of the event.

The encounter near Japan's Okinawa islands followed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's contentious remarks regarding Tokyo's potential response to a hypothetical Chinese aggression on Taiwan. China's claims over Taiwan and its proximity to Japan have long been a source of regional instability.

In response to the radar incident, a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department commented on the situation, stating, "China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability." Meanwhile, Japan has scrambled jets due to joint Russian and Chinese military activities in the region, as both nations stick to their claims over the disputed territories.

(With inputs from agencies.)