US backs Japan in dispute with Chin

The United States has for the first time criticised China for aiming radars at Japanese military aircraft during a training exercise last week, incidents that the Asian neighbours have given differing accounts of amid escalating tensions.



The run-in near Japan's Okinawa islands comes after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered a dispute with Beijing last month with her remarks on how Tokyo might react to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.



China claims democratically governed Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, which sits just over 100 km (62 miles) from Japanese territory and is surrounded by sea lanes that Tokyo relies on.



China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



The Chinese fighter jets aiming their radars at the Japanese planes on Saturday are the most serious run-in between the East Asian militaries in years.



Such moves are seen as a threatening step because it signals a potential attack and may force the targeted plane to take evasive action.



Tokyo blasted the moves as "dangerous".



Beijing, however, said that the Japanese aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted the Chinese navy as it was conducting previously announced carrier-based flight training east of the Miyako Strait.