In a First, a Chinese Military Plane Breaches Japan’s Territorial Airspace
New York TimesAug 23
Chinese Spy Plane Violates Japanese Airspace for the First Time
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Image copyright: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Japan has alleged that a Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane violated its airspace on Monday, calling the first such direct violation "utterly unacceptable."
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday that the spy plane violated Japan's airspace near the uninhabited Danjo archipelago near Kyushu island.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Increasing Chinese military aggression and assertiveness in recent years has been alarming. For neighboring Japan, this is a matter of existential threat, pushing it to bolster its military capabilities and deepen its alliance with the US. Japan must rapidly fortify its islands and acquire offensive weapons. The specter of Chinese expansionism could also give Japan a role in regional security.
Pro-China narrative
Japan is paranoid about China. More significantly, it is using China as an excuse for its own military expansion. Exaggerating the "China threat" and interfering in China's internal affairs, Japan is denying the peaceful nature of China's development policy and defensive military stance. It is likely to use China as a false flag to justify its own ambitions.
