Tokyo, Dec. 8 -- Japan on Monday rejected China's accusation that interference by its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) led to Chinese military aircraft locking fire-control radars on Japanese fighters, calling the claim "baseless" amid heightened tensions following Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent comments on a potential Taiwan contingency, Kyodo News reported.

Speaking at a press briefing, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that the country's Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) jets maintained a "safe distance" from Chinese aircraft during the incident off Okinawa on Saturday.

He stressed that clear communication between the defence authorities of both nations remains "extremely important", even as China continues to r...