Japan's military has drawn up a defense plan that refers to the possibility of an invasion by China, the Asahi Shimbun national daily said yesterday.
In one scenario, drawn up at a time of tense relations between Tokyo and Beijing, China occupies the disputed islands known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China.
In another scenario, the plan reportedly also lays out the possibility of a military conflict between China and Taiwan, with the US backing Taiwan.
In the scenario, Japan would support such US operations and might come under attack from China.
However, the top-secret plan, drawn up by senior officers in what Japan calls the Ground Self-Defense Force, says there is only a slight possibility of an attack by China, the paper said.
The plan laid out various possibilities for a period between last year through 2008 and is considered a national secret, the newspaper said.
Although the plan does not expect a Japan-China conflict to become a serious possibility, it shows for the first time that Japanese defense officials formulated military strategies to counter China, the Asahi said.
This reflects a shift from their previous focus on a possible Soviet attack in northern Japan, it said.
The report comes weeks after a separate Japanese defense white paper referred to the need to monitor Chinese military modernization, sparking an angry reaction from Beijing.
Japan and China are at loggerheads over a range of issues from rights over natural resources in the East China Sea to the way World War II history is taught in Japanese schools.
Earlier this month, Japan said it had sighted five Chinese warships in the East China Sea, where China is developing a gas field close to an area also claimed by Japan.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS