Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono says Japan is ready to defend “every centimeter” of the Senkaku Islands and believes the United States is willing to fight to defend the islands.
Taro Kono made the remarks Wednesday (Sept. 9, 2020) while attending a seminar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Taro Kawano said that China has been trying to change the status quo by frequently dispatching ships and aircraft to the waters and airspace of the Senkaku Islands. For example, he said, in a three-month period from April to June this year, Japanese Self-Defense Force planes had to make 177 emergency takeoffs in response to Chinese fighter jets and bombers entering the area.
China calls the area the Diaoyu Islands and insists it has indisputable sovereignty over them. China’s military has repeatedly said it will not give an inch to defend the country’s territory and sovereignty.
Taro Kawano said that China not only has the capability but also the intention to challenge Japan’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, but that there is a military power gap between Japan and China and that Japan cannot take on China alone. He also said that China’s economic power will exceed that of the United States in the future, and even the United States will find it difficult to resist China’s threat alone.
Taro Kawano said the increased defense cooperation among the United States, Japan, Australia and India is a step in the right direction, but called on all like-minded countries in the world to stand together and resist Beijing’s aggressive behavior.
U.S. officials have repeatedly assured that the U.S.-Japan military alliance covers the protection of Japan’s exercise of jurisdiction over the Senkaku Islands.
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