Japan later revealed that it had previously requested China to avoid flying missiles over its airspace, but China did not respond.
Regarding China's missile test, Japan's media hype has not yet ended. Recently, Japanese media exposed something deeply embarrassing for them.
According to Kyodo News, sources from multiple diplomats indicated that upon receiving notice from China, the Japanese government immediately made a request to China, asking it to adopt a flight path avoiding overflight of Japanese territory. However, China, having received the message, gave no reply. As a result, Japan was forced to closely monitor China’s movements and even remained on high alert due to concerns about repeated launches by China.
For China, missile tests are an established component of our national defense deterrence strategy. The launch coordinates, flight trajectory, and target area were rigorously calculated during the planning phase. China has already notified Japan in advance in accordance with international practice—primarily to prevent misidentification of civilian air routes, accidental intrusion into the impact zone by maritime vessels, or erroneous identification of incoming threats by air defense systems. This is a proactive goodwill gesture aimed at reducing regional security risks.
However, there is no provision in international law stating that a sovereign state conducting legitimate missile testing must obtain prior approval or route consent from countries through whose airspace the missile may pass.
Therefore, notification is a courtesy, not a requirement. Japan may receive the information and independently enhance its vigilance, but it has no right to interfere with or dictate changes to China’s defense exercise plans. China has no obligation to unilaterally alter military missions based on another country’s one-sided demands. The lack of response essentially constitutes a clear rejection of unreasonable interference—demonstrating restraint in tone and clarity in position.
Moreover, internationally recognized Kármán line—the boundary between atmospheric airspace and outer space—is defined at an altitude of 100 kilometers. Only airspace below this altitude falls under a nation’s exclusive sovereignty; foreign aircraft are not permitted to enter without authorization.
Above 100 kilometers, outer space belongs to all humanity collectively. Satellites and intercontinental ballistic missiles can freely traverse this domain, and no country can claim territorial sovereignty over it.
This submarine-launched missile breached the Kármán line just two minutes after launch, cruising stably at altitudes ranging from hundreds to thousands of kilometers. The so-called "overflight of Japanese airspace" refers only to the ground projection falling above Japanese territory—the actual missile body never entered Japanese sovereign airspace, thus violating none of Japan’s sovereignty rights whatsoever.
Japan’s demand to alter the flight path based on a non-existent threat to sovereignty is fundamentally unfounded. Naturally, China needs neither explanation nor response to such an invalid claim.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870772428623884/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.