Japan’s LDP Presidential Candidates Express Concerns Over China ICBM Launch; Politicians Call for Improved Security

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:35 JST, September 26, 2024

Following the Chinese military’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, the candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election expressed a sense of crisis over the deteriorating security environment.

Shigeru Ishiba, former LDP secretary general, who has experience as defense minister, expressed his concern to reporters in Tokyo, saying: “[China] did this not based on an on-the-spot decision, but as an expression of the nation’s will. We must analyze China’s intentions.”

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said, “We will promptly investigate and analyze the situation and continue vigilant monitoring,” while former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi condemned the incident as “a serious challenge that could threaten peace and security in the region.”

Since the official campaign for the LDP’s presidential election kicked off on Sept. 12, Chinese and Russian military forces have become more active in the region.

On Sept. 18, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning entered Japan’s contiguous waters, passing through a narrow channel between Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture for the first time. On Monday, a Russian aircraft violated Japan’s airspace to the north of Rebun Island in Hokkaido several times. In response, Air Self-Defense Force fighter planes launched flares, which put off strong light and heat, as a warning.

“We will never overlook such an outrageous situation,” LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi said to reporters at the Diet Building. “It is important not only to say so, but also to show it by actions.”

During this race, there has been a lively debate over how to respond to a possible Taiwan contingency. China has made it clear that it would not rule out a military invasion of Taiwan, something which would necessitate the evacuation of numerous Japanese residents of that island.

“It is important to start simulating such cases in peacetime,” former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi asserted on a Fuji Television program on Sept. 15. Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi stressed the need to strengthen intelligence capabilities to ensure the prompt evacuation of Japanese nationals.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi indicated a willingness to use extrajudicial measures to protect Japanese people: “If I became prime minister, I would want to save them, even if I had to go a little beyond the law. After that, I would take responsibility and resign.”