Japan claims China 'escalating' military actions

[BMD]

Japan claims China 'escalating' military actions

Japan claims China 'escalating' military actions
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 3, 2018

Japan's defence chief on Monday warned the country faces a tough security environment, with China and Russia stepping up military activity and North Korea posing "imminent threats".

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said China had been "unilaterally escalating" its military activities in the past year, including carrying out new airborne operations around Japan and running a nuclear submarine near disputed East Coast isles.

"China has been rapidly improving its military strength and fast increasing its military activities," Onodera told an annual gathering of the top brass of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

"It is unilaterally escalating its military activities in the sea and aviation spaces around our country. This has become a significant concern for our country's defence," he said.

Onodera made the remarks as Tokyo attempts to improve its tense diplomatic ties with Beijing, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to visit Japan's biggest trade partner next month.

On coming to power, Abe took a firm position on Japan's claims to a disputed island chain in the East China Sea, aggravating tensions with Beijing.

But he has since softened his rhetoric, and called on China to press North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes.

Japanese businesses have also voiced desire for closer ties with China to boost trade.

Onodera said Russia was also flexing its military muscle.

Moscow is planning to hold its biggest drill since the Cold War era and is bringing powerful weapons, including ground-to-air missiles, to the disputed Southern Kuril islands, he said.

"We are seeing movement to again push forward its military activities in the Far East," he said.

Onodera also repeated that North Korea continues to pose a "serious and imminent threat" to Japan, despite international diplomacy intended to convince Pyongyang to denuclearise.

 

[BMD]

I can see Japan developing nukes yet, which China won't like but it's their own fault for not doing more about NK.

 

[Volcano]

I can see Japan developing nukes yet, which China won't like but it's their own fault for not doing more about NK.

I would be satisfied if japan increases their defense spending to at least 1.5% from the current 1%. If japan do that, they can greatly increase their naval strength and that along with the ongoing US redeployment of forces will choke China further. However, Japan just like Germany have a strong anti-war fraction that oppose any kind of Military expansion. Abe took a lot of shit when he made a small change to the constitution, so forget about increasing defense budget, let alone making Nuks for the next decade or so. japan is highly sentimental of nukes, they gave us a lot of shit when we made ours.

 

[Bon Plan]

I can see Japan developing nukes yet, which China won't like but it's their own fault for not doing more about NK.

Uncle Donald will do all the necessary to prevent it (he can't try to force NK to stop and accept Japan to begin).
Because technically, a high tech country as Japan will not need more than a couple of years to do so.

 

[Bon Plan]

I don't see china using nuke.
If not their arsenal would have been far more strong (only 200 to 300 nukes when USA and russia has 4000 +/- each)

 

[BMD]

I would be satisfied if japan increases their defense spending to at least 1.5% from the current 1%. If japan do that, they can greatly increase their naval strength and that along with the ongoing US redeployment of forces will choke China further. However, Japan just like Germany have a strong anti-war fraction that oppose any kind of Military expansion. Abe took a lot of shit when he made a small change to the constitution, so forget about increasing defense budget, let alone making Nuks for the next decade or so. japan is highly sentimental of nukes, they gave us a lot of shit when we made ours.

Things have changed though.

 

[BMD]

Uncle Donald will do all the necessary to prevent it (he can't try to force NK to stop and accept Japan to begin).
Because technically, a high tech country as Japan will not need more than a couple of years to do so.

Forcing NK to stop will fail though, so the only options are either to directly invade, which is costly, or re-balance power in the region by helping Japan and maybe Taiwan acquire nukes.

I wasn't aware that Donald was your uncle either.

 

[Bon Plan]

Forcing NK to stop will fail though, so the only options are either to directly invade, which is costly, or re-balance power in the region by helping Japan and maybe Taiwan acquire nukes.

I wasn't aware that Donald was your uncle either.

Invade NK? far too costly, and not only in $. SK will suffer, China will not stay neutral...

Taiwan with a nuke program? In the weeks to come China will invade Taiwan, and USA will not risk its precious carriers for so few.

Japan is the sole possible next nuclear actor. but Uncle Donald (the Nth son of uncle Sam), now that he neglects europe, will gave it a strong umbrella.

 

[BMD]

Invade NK? far too costly, and not only in $. SK will suffer, China will not stay neutral...

Taiwan with a nuke program? In the weeks to come China will invade Taiwan, and USA will not risk its precious carriers for so few.

Japan is the sole possible next nuclear actor. but Uncle Donald (the Nth son of uncle Sam), now that he neglects europe, will gave it a strong umbrella.

Arming Taiwan with nukes is the only way to protect Taiwan and US semiconductor technology in Taiwan. The only other alternative is directly confronting China in the South China Sea, which would be costly.

 

[Bon Plan]

Arming Taiwan with nukes is the only way to protect Taiwan and US semiconductor technology in Taiwan. The only other alternative is directly confronting China in the South China Sea, which would be costly.

It's so dangerous !
Even Trump is not fool enough I hope.

 

[BMD]

It's so dangerous !
Even Trump is not fool enough I hope.

It's actually the only safe option. The alternatives are waiting until China invades and then trying to do something, or trying to setup a permanent military presence in support of Taiwan's sovereignty, which may itself lead to military confrontation. Putting nukes there, on the other hand, raises the stakes so high that an invasion becomes unthinkable. It's basically a replay of the North Korean trick, except in the reverse direction.

With Japan and SK also nuclear-armed, that would create a nice string of death around China, completely undoing the value of all the sand castles they've spent so long building.

 

[Volcano]

It's actually the only safe option. The alternatives are waiting until China invades and then trying to do something, or trying to setup a permanent military presence in support of Taiwan's sovereignty, which may itself lead to military confrontation. Putting nukes there, on the other hand, raises the stakes so high that an invasion becomes unthinkable. It's basically a replay of the North Korean trick, except in the reverse direction.

With Japan and SK also nuclear-armed, that would create a nice string of death around China, completely undoing the value of all the sand castles they've spent so long building.

I would rather count on south Koreans to make nukes than Japan. Japanese peoples have strong anti nuclear sentiment which perhaps is the strongest of this planet (since they got nuked). South Koreans on the other hand do not have any such issue and they can justify the nuclear weapon program on a nuclear armed North Korea.

Chinese priority is not to invade Taiwan, it is looking for a Hong Kong model solution for Taiwan. The easiest way to deter an invasion is to arm the Taiwanese with enough conventional weapons. Right now, Taiwan is not getting enough military equipment from US. Attacking an Island nation is not an easy job and a well armed and supported Taiwan is not something China can invade easily. Taiwan is a technologically advanced nation with a GDP of around 600 Billion. It is possible to make an Israel out of Taiwan if adequate support is provided.

 

[BMD]

I would rather count on south Koreans to make nukes than Japan. Japanese peoples have strong anti nuclear sentiment which perhaps is the strongest of this planet (since they got nuked). South Koreans on the other hand do not have any such issue and they can justify the nuclear weapon program on a nuclear armed North Korea.

Chinese priority is not to invade Taiwan, it is looking for a Hong Kong model solution for Taiwan. The easiest way to deter an invasion is to arm the Taiwanese with enough conventional weapons. Right now, Taiwan is not getting enough military equipment from US. Attacking an Island nation is not an easy job and a well armed and supported Taiwan is not something China can invade easily. Taiwan is a technologically advanced nation with a GDP of around 600 Billion. It is possible to make an Israel out of Taiwan if adequate support is provided.

Not having nuclear weapons doesn't stop you getting nuked.

Wouldn't be possible. HK was a different situation because it was UK territory leased from China. China reached the agreement with the UK largely because the UK didn't have the ability to defend part of the Chinese mainland against China. Taiwan is a separate entity and Taiwan is absolutely opposed to Chinese rule. As far as they're concerned, the PRC should give them back the mainland that they stole. There's no way to arm Taiwan enough with conventional weapons, it is basically a Western Europe vs Warsaw Pact situation, nukes are the only deterrent. It is absolutely not possible to make an Israel out of Taiwan. The technology and competence differential is not large enough.

 

[RISING SUN]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1289714628188966912

 

[RISING SUN]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1299260737903230979

 

[RISING SUN]

Japan suspicious as Chinese, South Korean companies buy land near military sites​

A suspicious increase in the number of foreign companies purchasing plots of land close to Japanese military installations has prompted Tokyo to consider restricting such sales.

At least 80 plots of land close to Japanese military bases have been sold to either Chinese or South Korean companies in the last decade or so, a government panel has found, and an official within the Cabinet Secretariat says the transactions appear to be rising.

“We first started closely monitoring these sales seven years ago, but the situation has become much more acute in the last few years,” said the official, who declined to be identified.

“Work is under way on the outline of a basic policy and that will be completed before the end of this year,” the official said, adding that the agency was looking into deals the length and breadth of Japan.

“One of the proposals is for a more complete examination of the reason for the purchase of the land by a foreign company, something that is not specifically required at present,” the official said.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east...inas-renewed-diaoyu-claim-days-after-wang-yis​

“That means that at the moment, we do not have a clear understanding of the buyer’s objective, but we do not believe it can be a coincidence [that the land is close to sensitive military sites],” he added.

In late 2016, a Chinese corporation was planning to buy 2.4 hectares of land on the remote island of Taketomi, one of the most southerly islands in the Okinawa archipelago and just 170km from the Senkaku Islands, which Japan controls but which China claims sovereignty over and knows as the Diaoyus. The town council stepped in at the last minute to buy the residential land so that it did not fall into foreign ownership, but that has not happened elsewhere.

The insignia of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s ‘201st Fighting Bears’, at Chitose Air Base. Photo: AFP

More than 8 hectares of land were obtained by a Chinese company just 3km from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Chitose Air Base in Hokkaido. The transaction was raised for discussion by the local government, but officials declined to comment to the South China Morning Post about the sale or what the land was presently being used for.

A South Korean company in 2013 bought a piece of land alongside the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s radar facility on the islands of Tsushima, off Nagasaki Prefecture in southern Japan. The island is around 50km from the coast of South Korea and its strategic location has long made it a critical outpost for the Japanese military.

To further complicate the problem, there are some in South Korea who claim the island should be recognised as part of the Korean peninsula and, since 2005, residents of the town of Masan have staged a festival in June demanding the return of Daemado, the Korean name for the island.

It was this deal that first caught the attention of Japanese officials and aroused suspicions that there may be an ulterior motive behind such transactions.
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/dipl...lia-poised-sign-landmark-defence-pact-counter
“When the Korean investor bought the land on Tsushima, we began to look into the legal issues, but the additional cases have prompted these proposals,” the official said.

Part of the problem has been determining whether a purchase is a legitimate development project or whether the company doing the deal is fronting for another entity, he said.

“We cannot answer whether the Chinese government is behind some of these deals because it is often difficult to trace a purchase back to the real investor or find a connection to the government because there can be layers of front companies involved,” the official added.

Garren Mulloy, a professor of international relations at Japan’s Daito Bunka University and an authority on defence issues, said the Japanese authorities had good reason to be concerned.

“For any country in the world, when you have a foreign firm that appears to be a shell company or some other entity that is buying land close to your defence establishments, then you have cause for concern,” he said.

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi inspects sailors of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Photo: Kyodo
Some of these deals might turn out to be genuine business opportunities, he said, such as the Korean firm that bought land on Tsushima, as there was little likelihood of Japan and South Korea engaging in military action against each other. But deals with other countries might seem more concerning to Tokyo.“ Chinese firms are far less open to scrutiny than those in other countries and they are ultimately beholden to their government,” Mulloy said.
Government officials declined to comment on whether any Russian companies might also be looking to purchase land in sensitive areas, but Mulloy said it was likely in parts of northern Hokkaido that face Russia.

Some 5,000 square metres of land close to a Self-Defense Force radar and signals monitoring base on the outskirts of Wakkanai was in 2016 sold to a foreign firm that reportedly wanted to develop the site for wind power turbines, although none have as yet been built on the site. Mulloy said that would be of concern to the Japanese military.

The signals monitoring station there is focused on tracking Russian chatter in the region, but we know that militaries dislike wind turbines being placed close to their facilities as they can interfere with low-level radar,” he said.

Should any of the sites have been obtained by the militaries of a foreign power, the most likely reason was to conduct close-range signals monitoring, Mulloy said.

In the event of an incident in the region – a foreign military aircraft entering Japanese airspace or another North Korean missile launch, for example – there would be a sharp increase in military communications that could be monitored and provide intelligence on the frequencies used, where the messages originated and were sent and what responses were triggered.

“They would be looking for patterns in the communications and any weaknesses that could be exploited,” he said. “That is why the security of bases such as those in Hokkaido and Okinawa is so critical.”

Japan suspicious as Chinese firms buy land near military bases

‘We do not believe it can be a coincidence’, says Japanese official.

www.scmp.com

 

[RISING SUN]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1436932329222574082