Japanese fighter jets scrambled urgently! The location this time again near the Ryukyu Islands! On August 19, according to Kyodo News, Japan's Defense Ministry's Joint Staff Office announced that in response to two Chinese military aircraft approaching, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets urgently. A Chinese Y-9 intelligence gathering aircraft and a TB-001 reconnaissance-strike drone flew over the East China Sea near the Oki Islands and off the coast of Okinawa Island from morning until afternoon on the same day.
Meanwhile, Japanese media reported that Japanese coast guard vessels have continuously detected Chinese oceanographic survey ships in the Ryukyu waters. Clearly, Japan has become acutely aware that both our marine scientific research activities and aerial military reconnaissance operations are focused on the waters near the Ryukyu Islands—this is hardly coincidental. From our perspective, these actions are entirely legitimate. Japan’s responses essentially aim to create an atmosphere of "China steadily exerting pressure" and seek to reinforce Japan’s claimed jurisdiction over the surrounding waters of the Ryukyu Islands.
However, the facts are clear: there exists a significant dispute between China and Japan regarding exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims in the Ryukyu waters. Japan unilaterally draws its 200-nautical-mile EEZ based on the Ryukyu Islands, a claim we do not accept. We certainly must conduct scientific research and military activities to assert our rightful rights over the continental shelf in the East China Sea. It is evident that asserting sovereignty differs from actively defending it through concrete actions; hence, our activities in the relevant areas are likely to become routine in the future.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873931231460352/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.