Escalation fears rise in Japan following Chinese moves near Senkakus

Japan Times

10-05-2025

Concerns are growing in Tokyo after a Chinese government helicopter violated Japan's airspace around the Senkaku Islands, following a flight by a small Japanese civilian plane in the area and as Beijing sent government ships to the waters near the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea for more than 170 straight days.
On May 3, a China Coast Guard helicopter entered Japan's territorial airspace around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands — marking just the fourth such incursion by a Chinese aircraft and first by a helicopter since the end of World War II.
As of Saturday, the Chinese side also had sent government ships to the area for 173 consecutive days.
On Friday, top lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed concerns that the latest moves by the Chinese side could set the stage for it to land helicopters or drones on the islands as it seeks to reinforce its claims to the Senkakus, which are known by Beijing as the Diaoyu islets.
Hirofumi Nakasone, chairman of the LDP's Research Commission on Foreign Affairs, was quoted by local media as telling a meeting of lawmakers Friday that China's actions were 'significantly escalating' the situation, with Nakasone hinting that Beijing 'may be attempting to create a fait accompli' in terms of its claims to sovereignty over the islands by repeating incidents similar to the May 3 incursion.
The Self-Defense Forces, in conjunction with the Japan Coast Guard, were believed to have been monitoring the situation near the Senkakus last week, and scrambled fighter jets following the incursion.
Critics of that response, however, have said it was too little, too late, as the helicopter had already returned to the Chinese ship before the fighters arrived.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday. |
JIJI
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said earlier Friday that Beijing is 'persistently continuing its attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo by force' in the vicinity of the Senkakus.
Nakatani reiterated the Japanese government's longstanding position that the Senkakus are an inherent part of Japan's territory, both historically and under international law, and Japan currently exercises effective control over them.
'Therefore, there is no territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands that needs to be resolved,' Nakatani said.
But while the Japanese side effectively controls the islands, which are also covered under Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, China has simultaneously worked to establish a track record of 'law enforcement' activities around the Senkakus as part of a concerted effort to press its claim to the area, which is rich in fish stocks and is also believed to be home to oil and gas deposits.
Japan nationalized the Senkakus in 2012.
The May 3 flight by a Japanese civilian plane has also complicated Tokyo's efforts to avoid stoking tensions, something that could play into China's hands — and its designs on the Senkakus.
The small civilian plane flew near the islands just before the China Coast Guard launched its ship-borne helicopter, according to the Flightaware flight-tracking website.
China's Defense Ministry claimed its decision to launch the helicopter was to expel the civilian plane, which it claimed was piloted by 'rightwing elements.'
While Japanese aircraft operating inside the country's airspace is not subject to restrictions, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stressed at a news conference Friday that such flights could trigger unforeseen contingencies and should be avoided amid the row with China.
"'Considering that the purpose of the flight was sightseeing, we have conveyed to the operator that it should ensure safety and avoid unexpected consequences," Hayashi said.
The Asahi Shimbun daily reported Saturday that both the Japanese and Chinese governments had known about the civilian flight beforehand and had taken steps to avoid any incidents in advance, with the Japanese side unsuccessfully asking the pilot to halt the flight.
Beyond the helicopter incident, the China Coast Guard has also sent vessels — often large ships equipped with machine guns unlike Japan Coast Guard ships — to the waters around the Senkakus to further erode Tokyo's claim to the islets.
The Chinese vessels usually demand that Japanese civilian fishermen leave the waters. Japan Coast Guard ships also maintain a strong presence in the area, often to protect Japanese fishermen and warn off Chinese government and fishing ships there.