Defense ministry slams Japan radar claim amid Diaoyu Islands spat

China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday claimed Tokyo had purposely misled the international community in media reports that discredited the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for allegedly aiming weapon-targeting radar at a Japanese naval ship in the East China Sea.

The ministry's response came after Kyodo News quoted unnamed sources, cited as senior PLA officials, saying a Chinese naval vessel on January 30 locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese destroyer in the East China Sea near the Diaoyu Islands.

The officials told Kyodo it was an unplanned "emergency decision" made by the Chinese frigate's commander. The report said the comments were made recently.

"The Japanese accusation that a Chinese frigate targeted a Japanese vessel is not true," the ministry said in its statement.

"The Japanese side has tracked Chinese frigates at close range and jeopardized their safety with interference of regular missions. This has triggered safety problems in China's territorial waters and air space," the ministry added, demanding Japan stop expressing irresponsible opinions.

On March 9, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi urged Tokyo to correct its mistakes over the Diaoyu Islands issue and work with China to prevent tension from escalating and "getting out of control."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday he hoped to meet Chinese and South Korean leaders soon to improve relations, according to AFP.

"Japan has sent confusing signals, but I believe Abe will want to visit China to smooth bilateral relations. The Japanese government still needs to emphasize the 'China threat' to win public support," Da Zhigang, a professor of Japanese studies at the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Also on Monday, three Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered waters near the Diaoyu Islands. The vessels made clear to Japanese patrol ships that the Diaoyu Islands have been China's inherent territory and demanded them to leave Chinese territorial waters, the State Oceanic Administration said.