Japan’s Defense Minister Koizumi to Speak with British, Philippine Counterparts about China Directing Radar at ASDF Fighter Planes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:46 JST, December 17, 2025

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi began coordination to hold telephone talks with his counterparts in Britain and the Philippines about a recent incident in which Chinese military aircraft inappropriately directed radar toward Air Self-Defense Force planes, according to sources in the Defense Ministry.

Koizumi also plans a telephone conference with South Korea’s defense minister, the sources said.

The Japanese side aims to seek understanding for Japan’s position on the issue and obtain support from international public opinion.

At a press conference Tuesday, Koizumi revealed, “Plural talks are scheduled this week.” He said, “It is also a job duty of a defense minister to make efforts to obtain understanding of the international community.”

Regarding the radar incident, the Philippine Defense Department issued a statement on Dec. 12 saying that the country views China’s actions with great concern.

Koizumi wants to share similar views also with Britain and South Korea.

After the incident occurred, Koizumi held long-distance talks with officials of the United States, Italy and NATO.

In connection with the issue, a spokesperson of China’s Defense Ministry reiterated on Monday its insistence that the Chinese military had notified the Japanese side of the military drill in advance.

The Chinese spokesperson said that the Chinese military “told Japan about conducting the drill and then notified it of the schedule that carrier-borne aircraft would conduct flight drills mainly to the south of the aircraft carrier for about six hours from 3 p.m. The Japanese side received the radio message.”

But Koizumi counterargued at the Tuesday press conference: “On Dec. 6, when the radar illumination incident occurred, a Chinese Navy ship sent a message to a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer. But the radio conversation did not include details about the scale of the drill or the airspace where the drill would be conducted, including such information as degrees of latitude and longitude of the area of the military drill.”