China, Japan Trade Barbs in Island Fight

China is denying that one of its naval vessels put a radar lock on a Japanese warship in waters close to the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had claimed on Wednesday that a Chinese frigate used its radar to gather information on the Japanese destroyer last week—the kind of info one would need to fire at the ship, reports CNN. But Chinese defense officials today said that wasn't so, and noted that their ship's radar maintained "normal operations."

China also denied a claim from Japan that a Chinese vessel put a radar lock on a Japanese helicopter in January. "Japan unilaterally released false information to the public without confirming the facts with China," the ministry said. But Japanese officials maintained their story, saying they "cannot accept the Chinese explanation." (More Japan stories.)