Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Tuesday to defend Japanese territorial waters amid Tokyo's ongoing tensions with Beijing over her remarks on Taiwan.

According to Anadolu Agency, Takaichi emphasized the increasingly severe security environment in the maritime areas surrounding Japan. She announced the government's commitment to strengthening maritime security capabilities, which includes enhancing large patrol vessel capabilities and improving coordination between the Japan Coast Guard, the Ministry of Defense, and the Self-Defense Forces. Additionally, efforts will be made to improve the working conditions and treatment of Japan Coast Guard officers.

The heightened focus on maritime security follows an incident in early December when Tokyo claimed that Chinese J-15 aircraft, operating from the carrier Liaoning, locked radar on two Japanese F-15 jets over high seas southeast of Okinawa's main island. In response, China described the maneuvers as 'professional, secure, restrained, and beyond dispute,' noting that radar use is common practice during training.

Tensions between the two nations have been escalating since November 7, when Takaichi remarked that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally be considered a 'survival-threatening situation,' which might permit Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense. Her statement stirred strong reactions from Beijing, leading China to advise against travel to Japan and re-impose a ban on seafood imports, among other restrictive measures.