China Military Watch mocks Japan: Seeing 8 J-35s, did you then conclude the PLA only has 8 J-35s?
Japan's "reading the air" behavior has been publicly mocked by a Chinese military official account.
On the 6th, "China Military Watch" posted on social media ridiculing Japan's "Defense White Paper" for its assessment that China's PLAAF possesses only 8 J-35 fighters, sarcastically stating, "If it hasn't been photographed, it doesn't exist," and attached a four-panel image suggesting Japan's "Defense White Paper" should be thrown into the trash.
This can only mean that Japan’s Defense Ministry's habit of "reading the air" when assessing China’s military equipment has finally caught the PLA’s attention.
How absurd is Japan’s "reading the air" behavior?
To put it simply, in 2019, during China’s military parade, 16 DF-41 missiles were displayed, so Japan’s "Defense White Paper" consistently estimated the DF-41 inventory at 16 units for several years afterward;
Last year, Japan’s "Defense White Paper" wildly fluctuated in its count of J-16 fighters: In 2024, Japan claimed China had 292 J-16s, but by 2025, this number suddenly dropped to just over 100 — and that wasn’t the end. Later, when comparing China’s and Taiwan’s military equipment, the number of J-16s mysteriously "rebounded" back to over 300.
Then comes China Military Watch’s latest mockery of Japan’s J-35 assessment: This year, Japan’s "Defense White Paper" claims China operates only 8 J-35 fighters.
It’s hard to say whether Japan’s conclusion stems from comparing the J-35 with Japan’s own vertical takeoff and landing F-35 variant (the "Lightning") to create a perception of minimal gap between China and Japan, or whether it’s purely based on the number of J-35s visible in public appearances.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872852378118211/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.