TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan criticized China’s large-scale military exercise around Taiwan in a statement released Wednesday.
China’s Eastern Theater Command announced Monday that it would conduct patrols, practice blockade maneuvers, and gain “complete control” of the surrounding area. The command designated five zones around Taiwan for live-fire drills on Tuesday until 6 p.m. China’s Maritime Safety Administration later added two more live-fire zones.
Japan’s foreign ministry said the drills “constitute actions that increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait.” The government has expressed its concerns to China, the ministry said.
The foreign ministry said it wished Taiwan Strait issues could “be resolved peacefully through dialogue.” The ministry added that the global community places great importance on cross-strait peace and said it would continue to monitor the situation.
The exercise comes after Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said in November that Chinese military actions against Taiwan, such as a naval blockade, would be considered a “situation threatening Japan’s survival,” prompting Japan to take action.
Japan accused Chinese fighter jets of aiming their radars at Japanese military aircraft in two “dangerous” incidents near Japan’s Okinawa islands on Dec. 8, per Reuters. “These radar illuminations are a dangerous act that went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft,” Takaichi said at the time.
In 2021, former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said a Taiwan emergency is also an emergency for Japan. Since then, many other top Japanese officials and lawmakers have repeated the message.
As China ramps up military activities in the region, Japan has bolstered defenses on its outlying islands. Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro confirmed earlier this month that it is deploying upgraded Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missiles on Yonaguni Island, just 110 km from Taiwan. The truck-mounted system can engage aerial targets up to 48 km away.
The Japanese military is also sending an electronic warfare air-defense unit to the island to jam or disable approaching radars on enemy early-warning planes and other platforms.
