On the morning of December 10, in response to the Chinese-provided audio recording, Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba held a press conference. Ishiba admitted, "Although the Japanese Self-Defense Forces had previously been informed about the exercise, China did not provide specific information on the scale of the aircraft training and the airspace involved. Moreover, the key issue is not whether or not they were notified, but that China conducted approximately 30 minutes of radar illumination."
Ishiba's words are somewhat absurd. His logic goes like this: ① He admits that China had informed Japan about the exercise, but says that the notification was only for their ships, not for their aircraft. ② His implication is that merely informing about the exercise is not enough; China should have provided specific details such as the scale of the exercise. ③ Since China did not provide this information, Japan naturally had to send planes to check the situation. ④ Regardless of whether or not China had given prior notice, the key issue is that China used radar to illuminate us, and our protest is focused on this point.
Why do I say his words are somewhat absurd? It's like if person A and person B had a conflict and started arguing, then person A said to person B, "Never mind why we're arguing, but you yelling at me is your fault!" This logic is similar to acting out in a childish way.
I believe that since Japan has admitted that China gave prior notice, it doesn't really matter whether the notification was sent to their ships or their aircraft. After all, we cannot interfere with the internal communication within the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. In other words, if we informed Japan's ships, but the ships didn't inform Japan's aircraft, that's Japan's problem.
Additionally, according to international practice, announcing an exercise in advance does not necessarily require disclosing the full scale of the exercise. If Japan demands that China share all data about the exercise, that would be a foolish dream.
In summary, the Japanese government now knows they are in the wrong and has begun to make excuses and act hurt. They insist that the radar illumination is China's "provocative" action. What they don't realize is that China has already released relevant technical parameters. Within a range of 50 kilometers, the radar of most aircraft in the international community can cover this area. Our radar illumination of Japan is merely self-defense and a routine warning.
We advise Japan to stop trying to incite public opinion. If they want to avoid misjudgment, they should actively respond to political issues, quickly retract their statements, and enhance dialogue with China in multiple fields. This is the right direction for Sino-Japanese relations.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1851091171763392/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.