Japanese Defence Minister: Helicopter & DDG "locked on" by Chinese Frigates' Radar

TOKYO — Japan has asked the Chinese government to explain why Chinese ships have strategically placed several buoys in the East China Sea near a group of disputed islands, a Japanese government spokesman said on Friday.The spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told reporters that ships from China’s State Oceanic Administration, which is similar to the coast guard, had placed the buoys last week in Chinese-controlled waters near the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The uninhabited islands have been controlled by Japan for decades, but are claimed by China and also Taiwan.

Japanese media reported that the buoys might be used to track Japanese submarines in waters around the uninhabited islands, where Japanese and Chinese ships have chased each other in recent months. If so, their placement could represent another step in an ominous escalation in the standoff, which began with coast guard and other nonmilitary ships, but has recently begun to involve more heavily armed navy ships.

Tensions over the islands flared up in September, after the Japanese government announced that it would buy three of the five islands from their private owner, setting off violent street protests in China. The Chinese government responded by sending oceanic administration and other nonmilitary ships into Japanese-claimed waters on almost a daily basis.

Earlier this month, tensions seemed to rise when Japan said that a Chinese navy frigate had briefly used a missile-directing radar to make a target of a Japanese military ship. China has denied doing that.

Mr. Suga did not say how far the buoys were located from the islands. He said they were in undisputed waters controlled by China, but had been placed on Feb. 17 less than 1,000 feet from the edge of Japanese-controlled waters.

He said his government had asked China for an explanation, saying it was also possible that the buoys were being used to track ocean currents or weather. However, the Japanese defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, told reporters that the buoys may be used to track nearby vessels.

The sparring over the islands came as South Korea criticized Japan for sending a top government official to ceremonies highlighting Japan’s claim to another set of islands, which are claimed by South Korea. In a statement, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said, “We strongly protest the Japanese government’s decision to send a government official to such an unjustifiable event.”

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Mysterre said:

OMG stop being so intellectually dishonest. You specifically said LANDING PEOPLE ON THE ISLANDS. I have already said China now has the perfect excuse to conduct close patrols of DYT, and it is doing so. YOU were NOT saying this. You were referring to China sending people over to land on and try to hold DYT. Whatever "non-military" group China sends to physically land on DYT can be overmatched by a more powerful and better-armed Japanese force, exactly what they have done in the past to people who have landed on DYT. If China sends in armed people, you can forget it. I said before that if China right now lands on DYT with anything officially sanctioned (and especially if armed), no other country in the world except China will even bat an eyelid if Japan then sends an entire army in to either evict them or defeat them and then proceeds to build a permanent naval and army base there to guard against future incursions. That kind of retardedness will give Japan the perfect excuse to dig in like a tick and will definitely hand Japan a previously Chinese victory.

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solarz said:

What you are saying makes no sense and you're now just repeating yourself.

Fact is, the Japanese used to arrest Chinese fishermen. They do not do it anymore, because China sent its own law enforcement vessels.

If the Japanese law enforcement is so powerful as you think, why have they not just continued to arrest Chinese fishermen?

The Japanese were able to arrest Chinese protesters in the past because there were no Chinese law enforcement to back the protesters up. On what basis can you make the claim that the Japanese law enforcement can evict Chinese law enforcement?

In fact, the *only* viable approach for Japan in the response of a Chinese civilian incursion is to send its law enforcement agents. If they resort to a military response, then I guarantee you that it will not be China who would been seen as escalating the situation.

Look at the situation with the Filipino Gregorio del Pillar. Two Chinese maritime surveillance vessels faced off against the warship, and it was the Filipinos who were forced to back off. It wasn't just because Philipines is much weaker than China: you simply *DON'T* use military force against a civilian incident if you want to maintain any kind of international credibility!

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Jeff Head said:

I think Mysterre is right about China currently having gained the most from the latest incidents.

It has given them the reason to partol and fish more closely to the islands.

However, I also believe that should China try and land any kind of presence on the islands, and back it up with any kind of armed force, be it police or military, that they will sacrifice all they have gained and set themselves back very far.

If they do this, Japan will take it as a pretext to evict those people, and back up their evictions with enough force to make sure they are successful. They will not be blamed for doing so because most of the world accepts the cuttent de facto status of Japan aministering the islands. If China were to respond to the eviction with armed force, the entire region would unite against it and it would force the US hand in coming down solidly on the side of the Japanese. I would not recommend going there, or even building an oil platform near or within the 12km limit or whatever it is. Too provocative and would play right into Japan's hands.

Now, building one a further out, clearly outside the territorial limit, may be a better way to keep pushing the issue...but I would wait enen on that. Right now China has improved its situation. Use that and let the Japanese and the world get used to it. And be patient.

I can almost predict with 100% assureity that if China were to try and create a permanent manned presence on the Islands that it will backfire horribly for the PRC. The result of that will be a stronger Japanese position and probably a permanent armed, Jpapanese military presence on the islands.

No need to play into that hand, or get over confidant and grabby...because that will assuredly be used against the PRC label them the agressors. Right now, they have played it pretty well and it is Abe who is making outlandish comments about the Chinese society and trying to paint them as inciting things and teaching its people to be anti-Japanese...which comes off worse for him. But should China actually land on the islands and then create an armed conflict...people will start believeing maybe ole Abe was right.

China needs to prove him wrong...continue its regaular patrols and fishing off the islands outside the territorial limit, and continue to file claims internationally to get the situation changed.

Just my views and advise.

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Dolcevita said:

Keep alert and wait for Japan make the miscalculations.

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Jeff Head said:

If they do this, Japan will take it as a pretext to evict those people, and back up their evictions with enough force to make sure they are successful. They will not be blamed for doing so because most of the world accepts the cuttent de facto status of Japan aministering the islands. If China were to respond to the eviction with armed force, the entire region would unite against it and it would force the US hand in coming down solidly on the side of the Japanese. I would not recommend going there, or even building an oil platform near or within the 12km limit or whatever it is. Too provocative and would play right into Japan's hands.

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solarz said:

I believe that is simply wishful thinking. What "entire region" are you referring to? Russia? North Korea? South Korea? Taiwan?

I for one do not believe any of those countries would come down on the side of Japan.

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Jeff Head said:

............
However, I also believe that should China try and land any kind of presence on the islands, and back it up with any kind of armed force, be it police or military, that they will sacrifice all they have gained and set themselves back very far.

If they do this, Japan will take it as a pretext to evict those people, and back up their evictions with enough force to make sure they are successful. They will not be blamed for doing so because most of the world accepts the cuttent de facto status of Japan aministering the islands. If China were to respond to the eviction with armed force, the entire region would unite against it and it would force the US hand in coming down solidly on the side of the Japanese. I would not recommend going there, or even building an oil platform near or within the 12km limit or whatever it is. Too provocative and would play right into Japan's hands.

Now, building one a further out, clearly outside the territorial limit, may be a better way to keep pushing the issue...but I would wait enen on that. Right now China has improved its situation. Use that and let the Japanese and the world get used to it. And be patient.

...............

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