Japan Pushes Back On China With Taiwan Strait Cruise; More Restrained Approach Seen Losing Effectiveness
17:35 JST, September 26, 2024
The bold decision to send a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer through the Taiwan Strait for the first time was a display of resolve against Chinese military actions that threaten Japanese sovereignty.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly ordered preparations for invading Taiwan to be completed by 2027. Some observers believe beefed-up activity by China’s military in recent times is part of those preparations.
Japanese governments have adopted a cautious approach to sending MSDF vessels through the waterway between China and Taiwan, due to an aversion to any step that could ratchet up military tensions. However, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apparently had become increasingly alarmed about Japan’s security environment and decided that peace could not be protected while sticking to that approach.
On Monday, a Russian military aircraft violated Japan’s airspace to the north of Rebun Island in Hokkaido. Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets launched flares that emit strong light and heat as a warning to the intruding aircraft for the first time. Some observers have suggested that Beijing and Moscow are escalating tensions to test Japan’s response amid the perceived political power vacuum that emerged after Kishida last month announced he would step down.
The Chinese side is expected to react angrily to the Sazanami’s passage through the Taiwan Strait, and to possibly take retaliatory measures. Whichever candidate wins the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election on Friday — and thereby becomes Japan’s presumptive new prime minister — will immediately face important decisions about the nation’s policy toward China.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Scrambles Fighter Aircraft After Russia Violates Airspace
-
LDP Presidential Vote Could Go to Runoff, Surveys Suggest; Overall Tally Tips Toward Takaichi, Ishiba
-
Japanese Government Tells Australia of Willingness to Cooperate in Building Warships; New Model Based on Mogami-Class Frigate
-
Sanae Takaichi, Shigeru Ishiba, Shinjiro Koizumi Fight to Reach Runoff in LDP Presidential Race; Ballots Set to Start Arriving
-
Japan Coast Guard Study Program to Accept Palau Official, for 1st Participant from Pacific Islands
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Philippines Steps Up Defense of Northernmost Province with Eye on Possible Contingency Involving Taiwan
- Tokyo Companies Prepare for Ashfall From Mt. Fuji Eruption; Disposal Of Ash, Possibly at Sea, A Major Challenge
- Harris Widens Lead over Trump to 47%-40%, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds
- Japanese Companies Increasing Efforts to Hire Foreign Students; Firms, Local Governments Help Them Acquire Skills to Find Jobs in Japan
- Typhoon Bebinca Could Approach Southern Japan In Days; Heavy Storms Expected from Saturday (Update 1)