NHK has learned a South Korean naval ship beamed fire-control radar toward a Japanese patrol plane multiple times and it continued to do so for a period of time.
Defense Ministry officials informed NHK of the findings from an investigation by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The MSDF has confirmed that a South Korean destroyer beamed fire-control radar at its P-1 patrol aircraft over the Sea of Japan off the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on Thursday. It added the act happened more than once and continued for a period of time.
The fire-control radar is designed to locate and track a target before a missile is launched.
The patrol plane reportedly took action to avoid any incident.Senior Self-Defense Forces officials said that when radar is beamed multiple times for a period of time, it is likely not an accident.They also said that the SDF has maintained a friendly relationship with its South Korean counterpart, and that they want know what really happened.