Tokyo on Sunday disputed China's claim that two Japanese fighter jets fired what Beijing calls an "interference bomb" as Chinese military planes passed over the Miyako Strait in Okinawa Prefecture the previous day.
The Defense Ministry in Tokyo said Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled "in compliance with strict procedures that are based on international law and the law governing the Self-Defense Forces."
It is "not a fact" that the Japanese fighters fired an interference bomb and endangered the Chinese military planes and their crew, it said.
China says two ASDF F-15s were involved in the alleged incident.
The ministry said the fighters did not obstruct the Chinese aircraft in close proximity, saying China's claim "clearly differs from the facts" and is "extremely regrettable, as it is something that damages relations between Japan and China."
On Saturday, the ASDF scrambled fighters in response to the flight of six Chinese military aircraft, including fighter jets, over the Miyako Strait, which separates Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island. No Japanese airspace was violated in the incident, according to the ministry's Joint Staff Office.