Beijing’s actions are “not conducive to regional peace”, Japan’s defence minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi “exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident”, the Japanese defence ministry said after the call.They “expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability”, the statement added.Koizumi said on X he told Hegseth that China was “disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts” about the radar incident.”However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue,” Koizumi added.Hegseth’s office said they had “discussed… China’s military activities” among other issues including “Japan’s efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities”.- ‘Tactical exercises’ -Takaichi had indicated on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.Media reports on Friday reinforced suggestions that her comments in a parliamentary debate were unplanned and that she deviated from prepared remarks.Last week, J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.But China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets “to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorisation, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and… maliciously hype up the situation”.On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.The “tactical exercises” over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans”.Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

French indie title “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33″ dominated the annual Game Awards in Los Angeles, winning a record of nine categories including best video game of the year.”What a weird timeline for us,” Guillaume Broche of video game studio Sandfall Interactive quipped, thanking his team as he accepted the top award.”And also I want to extend thanks to the unsung heroes of this industry — the people who make tutorials on YouTube on how to make a game —  because we had no idea how to make a game before.””Clair Obscur,” the first game from Sandfall Interactive, tells the story of a group of characters battling seemingly impossible odds in a post-apocalyptic universe with a distinctively French visual style.It was nominated in a record number of categories, winning many despite squaring up against heavyweights like “Death Stranding 2” from industry legend Hideo Kojima of “Metal Gear Solid” fame, or Nintendo’s “Donkey Kong Bananza” starring the eponymous gorilla.”Clair Obscur” began in 2020 as a project of Broche, a developer at French games giant Ubisoft.He brought ex-colleague Tom Guillermin on board to create the small studio that same year in the French city of Montpellier.- ‘Thank you to the players’ -They struck a publishing deal in 2022 with UK-based Kepler, which provided funding for the project.Some 5 million copies of “Clair Obscur” have been snapped up since its realease in April of this year.”This was supposed to be a joke; I have no idea what’s happening,” Broche joked.”Just a massive ‘thank you’ to the players.”The grassroots popularity of “Clair Obscur” has manifested in fans attending conventions and video game fairs wearing a striped mariner’s shirt and red beret — one of the most stereotypically French outfits players can equip for their characters.The action game follows a small group of characters seeking to defeat a powerful entity threatening their home city Lumiere — which bears a striking resemblance to Belle Epoque Paris.Inspired by Japanese games such as the long-running Final Fantasy saga, the French title is a role-playing game offering turn-based combat against the monsters inhabiting the world.Its popularity was founded on the story’s emotional depth and endearing characters married with original gameplay, which introduced reactive rhythm-based elements to parry enemies’ attacks.Sandhill “managed to present something really polished and go toe-to-toe with major titles,” industry specialist Benoit Reinier told AFP at the time of the game’s release.At just 30 people for most of its development, the team behind “Clair Obscur” was far smaller than typical blockbuster studios.Broche said they brought everyone from Sandhill to Los Angeles to celebrate the awards.The music of “Clair Obscur” stuck in many players’ heads and played an outsize part in their immersion into its universe.Winning categories for the game included narrative, role playing, and music score.French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the team in May, thanking them for “putting the spotlight on French-style boldness and creativity.”There are also plans to bring the “Expedition 33” story to the big screen.