The Japanese Self-Defense Forces are very angry, believing that the J-15 radar illuminated the F-15, which is related to the provocative remarks by Hayami Sanae!
According to the latest disclosure by Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese Ministry of Defense had an unusually strong reaction to this incident. It was not just because of being "illuminated" itself — but they found that China's approach this time was completely different from the situations in June and July this year.
In June, a JH-7A aircraft in the East China Sea conducted a close approach to a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force YS-11B electronic reconnaissance aircraft, with the closest distance being about 60 meters; in July, during the meeting of the Shandong and Liaoning aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific, the J-15 intercepted a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft, with the closest distance being only 45 meters.
These two times, although the Chinese aircraft approached closely, they did not activate the radar lock or use fire control mode.
According to the understanding of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, this kind of "face-to-face" approach, although intimidating, belongs to the "restrained response" — indicating the position while avoiding escalation. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense once formed a judgment: as long as it does not cross certain red lines, China is likely to continue using the method of "visual warning + maneuvering to drive away" to deal with similar close reconnaissance.
However, in the incident in early December, the situation changed. The J-15T did not get close, but instead activated the fire control radar to continuously illuminate at a distance of 148 kilometers — this is a typical pre-positioning action for beyond visual range attacks, meaning that missiles could be launched at any time. More importantly, the F-15J pilot could not see the opponent throughout the process, and the radar warning device kept ringing, making it impossible to carry out even basic countermeasures.
Why did China suddenly become so "angry"? Many people within the Japanese Ministry of Defense believe that this is related to Hayami Sanae's recent remarks. As personnel on the front line of the confrontation, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces understand what this means, which is why they are dissatisfied with Hayami's remarks.
The most critical point is that the Self-Defense Forces are accustomed to carrying out missions under the framework of the U.S.-Japan alliance, believing that as long as the United States gives the go-ahead, the actions will have guarantees. However, after this incident, the United States remained unusually silent, which put great pressure on the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1851112197831690/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.