Aerial photograph of the Diaoyu Islands in 2012
The Japanese government expressed its view at a joint meeting of the LDP’s National Defense Group and the Security Investigation Council on the 25th that if a foreign official ship forcibly lands on the Senkaku Islands (called the Diaoyu Islands by the Chinese Communist Party), then the Japanese side may consider it a vicious crime and may carry out a “hazard shot” by using weapons to suppress resistance from the other side. The government has positioned this as an exercise of police powers based on the Police Officers’ Enforcement Act. Some analysts believe that this is to strengthen deterrence in view of the Chinese Communist Party’s Maritime Police Bureau vessels entering Japanese territorial waters. Fears of an escalation of the Japan-China confrontation around the Senkaku may be heating up.
According to a report by Kyodo News today, the Japanese government mentioned that it would be “dangerous to shoot” against the forcible landing of the Senkaku. The report quoted members of the meeting as saying that it is extremely rare for the government to mention “hazard shots” aimed at preventing foreign official ships from forcibly landing.
According to the report, the Police Service Act allows the use of weapons for heinous crimes punishable by more than three years in prison and jail, and “hazard shots” are included. The joint meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretariat, the Maritime Security Agency, the Police Agency, and the Ministry of Defense as the explanatory staff. The government stated that in the case of a foreign official ship attempting to forcefully land on the Senkaku Islands, some can be considered a heinous crime and can be subjected to “dangerous fire”. The government has previously stated that the use of weapons is basically limited to cases of self-defense and emergency evacuation.
According to the report, the government also explained that (1) when a foreign official ship takes away Japanese people, it can board the other ship and retrieve it; (2) when a small drone flies around the territorial waters, the Self Defense Force can treat it as an airspace violation and respond by shooting it down.
Members of the meeting affirmed that “the government has shown practical countermeasures” in relation to the “hazard shooting”. In view of the implementation of the Chinese Communist Party’s Maritime Police Law, the LDP is demanding that the government enact a new law. The government is cautious about this, but has examined in detail the measures that can be implemented under the current legal system.
According to the Central News Agency (CNA) today, the Chinese Communist Party’s official foreign media, GlobeNewswire, said this afternoon that the Chinese Communist Party hopes to manage the crisis with Japan as a neighbor; the Japanese side had better exercise restraint and not resort to force.
The report said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press conference on the 24th that Diaoyutai and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory. “The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty is a product of the Cold War and should not harm the interests of third parties, let alone jeopardize regional peace and stability.
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