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The Guardian
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Chinese fighter jet in near miss with Japanese military plane as Pacific tensions rise
Japan has voiced 'serious concern' over a near miss involving one of its military planes and a Chinese fighter jet in the Pacific, where recent manoeuvres by Chinese aircraft carrier groups have raised tensions across the region. The Chinese aircraft took off from a moving aircraft carrier, the Shandong, and reportedly flew within 45 metres of a Japanese Self-Defence Force (SDF) patrol plane shortly afterwards. On Thursday, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, urged Beijing to prevent a repeat of the incident, which took place at the weekend. Hayashi said the near miss, which occurred in international waters, could have caused an accidental collision. Japan's defence ministry said a J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong had engaged in other 'dangerous' activity, including passing in front of an SDF aircraft flying at the same altitude about 900 metres away. Although there was no damage to the Japanese plane or injuries among its crew, Japan had 'expressed serious concerns' over the 'abnormal approaches', the ministry said. The incidents have added to concern across the Asia-Pacific about China's increasingly bold naval and air activity. China sees its carrier groups as essential to its goal of projecting power in the region's oceans. It routinely sends coast guard vessels, warships and warplanes to areas around disputed islands in the east China Sea, but it appears to be extending its reach. China's military and government have not responded publicly to Japan's complaint about the near miss. Earlier this week, however, the foreign ministry defended the dual aircraft carrier drills in the Pacific, urging Japan to 'view those activities objectively and rationally'. 'China's military vessels' activities in relevant waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices,' spokesman Lin Jian said. 'China pursues a national defence policy that is defensive in nature.' The dual carrier drills, which officials said were designed to test 'troops' capabilities in far-sea defence and joint operations', are a sign of China's intention to expand its presence beyond the first and second island chains that border its eastern coastline. The first chain refers to the Pacific archipelago off the Asian mainland that includes Japan, Taiwan and part of the Philippines; the second is a strategic line that extends to Guam, a US territory in the Pacific. Last weekend was the first time a Chinese carrier had sailed east of the second chain. Japan's defence minister, Gen Nakatani, said: 'China apparently aims to elevate its capability of the two aircraft carriers, and to advance its operational capability of the distant sea and airspace.' Chinese fighter pilots have been accused of dangerous manoeuvres in the past, including by Australia, the Philippines, the US and Canada, as recently as February. In February the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also held live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. State officials and media insist the naval activity is not aimed at a specific country or entity, but the PLA is openly working towards being able to launch a land invasion of Taiwan. On Wednesday, Chinese state media accused Japan of potentially breaching its postwar constitution, which limits its armed forced to a strictly defensive role, with plans to deploy new missile systems to the southern main island of Kyushu. The reports said the deployment, along with other weapons procurement, was 'confrontational' and would 'ultimately affect the peaceful development prospects of the entire region'. The Shandong and a second Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, entered an area of Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – an area within 200 nautical miles (370km) of its coastline – in the Pacific for the first time last weekend. The Shandong sailed through waters 550km south-east of Japan's Miyako Island in the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Saturday, the ministry said, adding that it had conducted takeoff and landing drills involving fighter jets and helicopters north of Okinotori, Japan's southernmost island, and inside its EEZ. The Liaoning was spotted the same day 300km south-west of the easternmost island of Minamitori, before leaving Japan's EEZ to conduct similar exercises on Sunday, the Kyodo news agency said.
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Business Standard
09-06-2025
- General
- Business Standard
Explosion at US air base in southern Japan injures 4 Japanese soldiers
An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordinances at a US military base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa injured four Japanese soldiers, though the injuries are not life threatening, officials said on Monday. The four soldiers had injuries to their fingers while working at a facility that belongs to Okinawa prefecture to store unexploded ordnance found on the island, where one of the harshest battles of World War II was fought, local officials said. Prefectural officials said the injuries were not life threatening, but no other details were immediately known. The Self Defence Force's joint staff said they were looking into reports of an explosion at Kadena Air Base that occurred while a team of Japanese soldiers that specialises in handling unexploded ordnance was working near or at the base. The SDF said they are trying to confirm the cause of the accident and where it occurred. Hundreds of tons of unexploded wartime bombs, many of them dropped by the US military, remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites and elsewhere. In October, an unexploded wartime US bomb exploded at a commercial airport in southern Japan, causing a large crater and suspending dozens of flights.
The Independent
09-06-2025
- The Independent
Japanese soldiers injured in Okinawa US military base explosion
Four Japanese soldiers sustained finger injuries in an explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnance at a US military base in Okinawa. The soldiers were working at an Okinawa prefecture facility storing unexploded ordnance found on the island, a site of intense fighting during World War II. The Self Defence Force (SDF) is investigating reports of the explosion, which occurred at or near Kadena Air Base, involving a team specialising in handling unexploded ordnance. Authorities are working to determine the cause and exact location of the accident. Unexploded wartime bombs remain a hazard in Japan, with a similar incident occurring in October when a US bomb exploded at a commercial airport, disrupting flights.
The Independent
09-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Explosion at US military base in Japan injures four Japanese soldiers
An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnances at a US military base on Japan 's southern island of Okinawa injured four Japanese soldiers, though the injuries are not life threatening, officials said Monday. The four soldiers had injuries to their fingers while working at a facility that belongs to Okinawa prefecture to store unexploded ordnance found on the island, where one of the harshest battles of World War II was fought, local officials said. Prefectural officials said the injuries were not life threatening, but no other details were immediately known. The Self Defence Force's joint staff said they were looking into reports of an explosion at Kadena Air Base that occurred while a team of Japanese soldiers that specialises in handling unexploded ordnance was working near or at the base. The SDF said they are trying to confirm the cause of the accident and where it occurred. Hundreds of tons of unexploded wartime bombs, many of them dropped by the U.S. military, remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites and elsewhere. In October, an unexploded wartime U.S. bomb exploded at a commercial airport in southern Japan, causing a large crater and suspending dozens of flights.
South China Morning Post
20-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Fatal crash spotlights Japan military's ageing aircraft, recruitment struggles
When a T-4 training jet plunged into a reservoir in Aichi prefecture last week, killing at least one crew member, it reignited concerns over the safety of Japan 's military aviation. The crash, part of a troubling series of fatal accidents in recent years, has shaken public trust and underlined the recruitment challenges facing the country's self-defence forces. The T-4 aircraft, carrying two crew members, went down just two minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base last Wednesday . Search teams have recovered the body of one crew member, while efforts continue to locate the other in the murky waters of the reservoir. Analysts warn that the crash, which has prompted fresh scrutiny of the Air Self-Defence Force's safety protocols and ageing equipment, is likely to make attracting new recruits to Japan's already overstretched military even more difficult. 'If serious incidents continue to occur almost every year, the public's trust in the SDF could be lost,' the Yomiuri Shimbun said in a May 16 editorial. The newspaper raised questions about possible maintenance lapses or pilot error and cautioned that such accidents could deepen the military's manpower crisis. A similar editorial from the Mainichi Shimbun echoed these concerns: 'Unless the SDF does the utmost to prevent recurrences and works to alleviate the public's concerns, trust in the forces could be shaken.'
