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Japan Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan warns of China's military moves as biggest strategic challenge
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber, center, is seen close to a YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft, partly seen at left, of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force over the East China Sea on July 9. By Mari Yamaguchi Japan raised strong caution against China's rapid acceleration of military activity in extensive areas from its southwestern coasts to the Pacific, describing the moves as the biggest strategic challenge. China's growing joint operations with Russia also pose serious security concerns to Japan, along with increasing tension around Taiwan and threats coming from North Korea, the Defense Ministry said in an annual military report submitted to Cabinet on Tuesday. 'The international society is in a new crisis era as it faces the biggest challenges since the end of World War II,' the report said, citing significant changes to the global power balance while raising concerns about an escalation of the China-U.S. rivalry. The security threats are concentrated in the Indo-Pacific, where Japan is located, and could get worse in the future, the report said. Japan has accelerated its military buildup on southwestern islands in recent years, preparing to deploy long-distance cruise missiles, as it worries about a conflict in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Taiwan launched 10-day, annual live-fire military exercises last week intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade. Japan tested a short-range, surface-to-ship missile at home earlier last month. Chinese warships' advance in the Pacific has steadily increased, with the frequency of their passage off southwestern Japan tripling in the past three years, including in waters between Taiwan and its neighboring Japanese island of Yonaguni, the 534-page report said. The report comes days after Japan demanded China stop flying its fighter jets abnormally close to Japanese intelligence-gathering aircraft, which it said was happening repeatedly and could cause a collision. Beijing, in return, accused Japan of flying near Chinese airspace for spying purposes. Two earlier close encounters in June occurred over the Pacific Ocean, where Japan spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers operating together for the first time. China's increasing dispatch of aircraft carriers in the Pacific underscores the country's attempt to advance its sea power in distant waters, the report said. It said China's frequent dispatch of bombers for long-distance flights in the Pacific by more sophisticated flight routes and fleet organization is seen as Beijing's attempt to show off its presence around Japan and to further advance its operational capability. The Defense Ministry noted two cases last year — a Chinese warplane's brief violation of Japanese airspace over waters off islands near Nagasaki and an aircraft carrier's entry into a zone just outside of Japan's territorial waters further southwest of the Nansei island chain, which stretches from the southern coast of Kyushu to Taiwan. With President Donald Trump focusing on the strengthening of the U.S. economy and security, Japan and other U.S. allies face expectations to play a greater role for peace and stability in the region, the report said. North Korea poses 'an increasingly serious and imminent threat' for Japan's security, the report said, noting the North's development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads into Japanese territory and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Russia maintains active military operations around Japan and violated the country's airspace in September, the report added, saying its increasing strategic cooperation with China has posed 'strong concern' for Japan's security. Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Japan Today
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Emperor says he will honor Japanese POWs who were held in Mongolia
Emperor Naruhito speaks during a press conference in advance of his visit to Mongolia, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, on Wednesday. By Mari Yamaguchi Emperor Naruhito said Wednesday that he will honor thousands of Japanese prisoners of World War II who were held under harsh conditions in Mongolia when he visits the country next week. Naruhito, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, has been visiting some of the places where the bloodiest battles and bombings occurred, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima. It's part of his effort at atonement and remembrance of the tragedy of war fought in the name of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito. 'I will pay tribute to the Japanese people who unwillingly died in the distant land away from home, and think of their hardships,' Naruhito said at a news conference ahead of his July 6-13 trip to Mongolia. Empress Masako, will accompany him. Just before the end of the hostilities in 1945, the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan, taking most of about 575,000 Japanese POWs to Siberia. But around 12,000 to 14,000 of them were taken to Mongolia, which was fighting alongside the Soviets against Japan. Most of the POWs were put to hard labor and construction work for the Mongolian government's headquarters, a state university and a theater that are still preserved in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The prisoners toiled under harsh conditions and scarce food. Japanese records show about 1,700 of them died in Mongolia. 'As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war this year, we should never forget the pain and sorrow of the people,' Naruhito said. 'I believe it is important to not forget those who died, deepen understanding of the wartime past and to nurture the peace-loving heart.' Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance of telling the war's tragedy to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace. The emperor's trip to Mongolia will be his second since he visited in 2007 as crown prince to mark the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the countries. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory
Japan's army test-fires a Type 88 surface-to-ship short-range missile at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido in its first missile test on Japanese territory on Tuesday. By Mari Yamaguchi Japan's army announced Tuesday that it conducted a missile test for the first time on Japanese territory, as the country accelerates its military buildup to deter increasingly assertive China. The test-firing of the Type 88 surface-to-ship, short-range missile was conducted Tuesday at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido. About 300 soldiers participated in Tuesday's exercise by the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Artillery Brigade, using a training missile targeting an unmanned boat about 40 kilometers (24 miles) off the southern coast of Hokkaido, officials said. Officials were still examining the results of the test, the GSDF said. Due to space limitations and safety concerns, Japan has previously conducted missile tests in the territories of the United States, a treaty ally, and Australia, a top Japanese defense partner where vast training grounds are available. Tuesday's first domestic missile test underscores Japan's push toward a more self-sufficient military and its acquisition of strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China's increasingly assertive naval activity in regional seas. Japan is also concerned about growing joint military exercises around Japanese coasts between China and Russia. Japan and Russia, a northern neighbor to Hokkaido, have territorial disputes. Japan, under its pacifist Constitution, used to limit the use of force for self-defense only, but has taken a major break from that policy in 2022 when it adopted the ongoing five-year security strategy that names China as the biggest strategic challenge and calls for a closer Japan-U.S. alliance. Japan is currently working to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahawks purchased from the U.S., beginning later this year. Japan is also developing Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), 10 times that of a Type 88. The truck-mounted Type 88 guided missile, developed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have a range of about 100 kilometers. Japan is also preparing to build a missile-firing range on uninhabited Minamitorishima, the country's easternmost island in the western Pacific, an area where two Chinese aircraft carriers were seen operating together for the first time earlier this month. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
30-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Japan says China will resume Japanese seafood imports
People shop for sushi and sashimi at a Japanese supermarket in Beijing in August 2023, shortly before a blanket ban on Japanese seafood was put in place. By Mari Yamaguchi China will resume Japanese seafood imports that it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan's discharge of treated but slightly radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese official said Friday. The issue has been a significant political and diplomatic point of tension for the wary Asian powers. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the two sides reached an agreement after Japanese and Chinese officials met in Beijing and the imports will resume once the necessary paperwork is done. 'Seafood is an important export item for Japan and a resumption of its export to China is a major milestone," Koizumi said. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya also welcomed the move, saying, 'It will be a big first step that would help Japan and China to tackle a number of remaining issues between the two countries," such as disputes over territory, trade and wartime history. But officials said China's ban on farm and fisheries products from 10 Japanese prefectures including Fukushima is still in place and that they will keep pushing toward their lifting. China's General Administration of Customs issued a statement saying the two sides held "a new round of technical exchanges on the safety issues of Japanese aquatic products ... and achieved substantial progress' Thursday but did not mention an agreement. China blocked imports of Japanese seafood because it said the release would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China. Japanese officials have said the wastewater must be released to make room for the nuclear plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks. They say the treatment and dilution will make the wastewater safer than international standards and its environmental impact will be negligible. Friday's announcement is based on 'a shared recognition' between the two nations that Beijing would take steps toward ending the ban by joining water sampling missions by the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency. Tokyo and Beijing since March have held three rounds of consultations on the issue before reaching the agreement on Thursday on the 'technical requirements' necessary for Japanese seafood exports to China to restart, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It did not say how long it may take before the actual resumption. Since March, Tokyo and Beijing have conducted technical consultations on the resumption of Japanese seafood exports to China The March 2011 nuclear meltdowns followed an earthquake and tsunami. There were meltdowns in the plant's three reactors, causing large amounts of radioactive water to accumulate in their basements. The water release has been a milestone for the plant's battle with an ever-growing radioactive water stockpile that officials say has hampered the daunting task of removing fatally toxic melted fuel debris from the reactors. The wastewater was treated and heavily diluted with seawater to reduce the radioactivity as much as possible before Japan began discharging the wastewater in August 2023. Last September, then-Prime Minster Fumio Kishida said the two sides reached 'a certain level of mutual understanding' that China would start working toward easing the import ban and join the IAEA expanded monitoring of wastewater discharges. People inside and outside Japan protested the initial wastewater release. Japanese fishing groups said they feared it would further damage the reputation of their seafood. Groups in China and South Korea also raised concerns. Mainland China used to be the biggest overseas market for Japanese seafood, accounting for more than one-fifth of its seafood exports, followed by Hong Kong, making the ban a major blow to the fisheries industry. But experts said the ban's impact on overall trade was limited because seafood exports are a fraction of Japan's total exports. Japan's government has set up an emergency relief fund for Japanese exporters, especially scallop growers, and has sought alternative overseas markets. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings has said the utility would compensate Japanese business owners appropriately for damages suffered by export bans. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
15-05-2025
- General
- Japan Today
Japan starts emergency inspections on nearly 200 military training planes after crash
By Mari Yamaguchi Japan's Air Self Defense Force has begun emergency safety inspections on all of its nearly 200 military training aircraft after one of the planes crashed minutes after takeoff, officials said Thursday. The T-4 training aircraft, operated by the JASDF, and carrying two service members, crashed into a reservoir Wednesday, minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi. While the search operation for the missing aircraft and the two crew members continued Thursday, the military announced that it had started emergency inspections on all remaining 196 of the training planes deployed at JASDF bases across the country. Their operation has been suspended since the crash and they will remain grounded until the cause is identified and safety checks are completed, Hiroaki Uchikura, the air force chief of staff, told reporters on Wednesday. The crash is the latest in a series of defense aircraft accidents in recent years and comes at a time when Japan is accelerating a military buildup to deter China's influence in the region and double its defense spending, raising concern that funding for weapons may be prioritized over safety measures. The crashed plane was a 36-year-old T-4 operated out of Nyutabaru Air Base, in the southern prefecture of Miyazaki. It wasn't fitted with a voice recorder or a flight data recorder, a setback for the investigation. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Thursday announced plans to promptly fit the training aircraft with voice and flight data recording equipment. The JASDF said Thursday the plane experienced trouble when it reached an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) about one minute after takeoff. Kyodo News agency said that air traffic control didn't receive any contact from the T-4 aircraft about an emergency. The force said the plane was lost from radar two minutes after departure and crashed into a reservoir called the Iruka pond, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northeast of the air base. Witnesses told the NHK national broadcaster that they heard a loud noise like thunder at the time of the crash. Debris believed to be of the aircraft, as well as lifesaving equipment and helmets of the crew were found near the reservoir. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
