Japan rebukes S. Korea for weapons radar lock on military aircraft
Japan rebuked South Korea Friday after claiming one of the country’s warships had locked its weapons targeting system onto a Japanese military aircraft.
South Korea’s KDX-1 class destroyer locked its fire control radar on a Japanese P-1 patrol plane on Thursday off Noto peninsula in the Sea of Japan that divides the two countries, Tokyo’s defence ministry said.
‘It was an extremely dangerous act,’ defence minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters.
‘Considering the significance of this case, our country today conveyed a strong protest to South Korea.’
Ties between Japan and South Korea -- both allies of the US -- have remained icy for decades due to the legacy of Japan’s brutal 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.
Both countries have frequently locked horns over islets in the sea controlled by Seoul but also claimed by Tokyo.
Japan cancelled plans to join an international naval fleet review in South Korea in October after Seoul demanded the removal of a controversial naval flag hoisted by a Japanese vessel.
Two years ago, Tokyo and Beijing were at loggerheads over accusations Japanese warplanes locked their fire control radar onto Chinese aircraft.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation]()
Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation
European law enforcement and public security agencies are entering a new cycle of investment in personal protection equipment (PPE), driven by evolving threat profiles, officer welfare requirements and advances in materials technology.
-
![The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement]()
The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement
European militaries face a rapidly evolving security landscape and defence production must accelerate to meet surging demand for platforms and equipment. Industry needs to adapt to ensure it gets its products into the hands of the end user, Evelyn Rafferty, Senior Director Aerospace and Defence - Europe at Plexus told Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank]()
Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank
Autonomous systems developer Milrem has evolved a model for an interoperable robotised approach to the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI), showing how uncrewed systems could provide a multi-layered defence architecture in the air and on land along NATO’s eastern borders.
-
![Eurosatory 2026 to highlight changing defence and security priorities]()
Eurosatory 2026 to highlight changing defence and security priorities
Eurosatory 2026 will reflect a defence and security sector shaped by conflict, rising government spending, uncrewed systems, multidomain networks and growing demand for sovereign capabilities.
-
![Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP]()
Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP
The UK defence secretary’s departure suggests that the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan is unlikely to meet the funding demands of the armed forces, with consequences for procurement and the UK’s standing at a NATO summit weeks away.
