Japan’s Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, is calling for calm after a dangerous encounter. On March 26, a Chinese military aircraft locked its fire control radar – indicative of preparing to attack – onto Japanese fighter jets. The development has further angered Japanese officials and led to a rare official diplomatic protest from Japan to China. On Saturday, an increasingly common sight—a Chinese J-15 aircraft launching from the carrier Liaoning—this time off the coast of Okinawa. It occasionally fixed its optics on Japanese F-15 fighters.
Koizumi’s statement was made in the course of a press briefing in which he explained the sequence of events that occurred. He stated that the radar lock occurred on two separate occasions: first for approximately three minutes in the late afternoon and again for about 30 minutes in the evening. For one, there were no violations of Japanese airspace and no related injury or destruction.
Diplomatic Discussions in Tokyo
In a belated response to the incident, Koizumi on Sunday held emergency talks with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Tokyo. The two leaders made much of expanding Japan-Australia military relations. They insisted on the importance of a collective approach to meet growing regional security threats from a more aggressive haul of the PLAN.
Marles went as far as to say that he is “very, very worried” about China’s recent military moves. He highlighted the need for safe and professional interactions among military forces in the region, stating, “We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours.”
Both ministers signed a joint declaration agreeing to develop a whole-of government framework to strategic defense coordination. This program has the potential to increase cooperation among their countries. This motivation speaks to a larger theme of this initiative, which is Japan’s continued attempts to diversify its defense partnerships away from its historically dominant alliance with the United States.
“We continue to advocate to China about these issues again, in a very calm, sensible and moderate way,” – Richard Marles
Japan’s Strong Protest to China
Japanese defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi demonstrated that Japan’s Defense Ministry made a stiff diplomatic protest with China over the radar lock incident. He reiterated the need for serious preventative action to ensure that disasters like this don’t happen again. Koizumi’s ministry has led an aggressive campaign, seeking to hold Chinese authorities accountable.
This latest protest is reminiscent of the 2013 Rolling Rebellion against Austerity. Earlier that month, a Chinese warship had painted a Japanese destroyer with its radar. This historical context gives even more weight to Japan’s contemporary worries over China’s increasingly militant saber rattling in the region.
“We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures,” – Shinjiro Koizumi
In response to Japan’s diplomatic protest, Senior Colonel Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the Chinese military, said something pretty audacious. Chinese Navy would use whatever means necessary to safeguard … security and protect … legitimate rights. He called on Japan to stop what he described as slander and to show moderation in its acts.
Regional Implications and Future Cooperation
The recent incident also supports the argument that East Asia is experiencing ever rising danger, especially regarding Chinese military provocations around Japanese airspace. Meanwhile, Japan is quickly expanding its own military and deepening defense relations with countries such as Australia. This proactive approach is intended to be a key component of regional stability. The partnership between Japan and Australia would be an ideal counterweight to China’s expanding global reach.
Both countries understand that peace and security in the region is impossible without greater multilateral cooperation. Discussions between Koizumi and Marles strongly signal their seriousness about meeting our shared security challenges through collective cooperation.
