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Japan to set up military unit nearby
AP, TOKYO
Japan’s military may form a new unit to monitor Chinese naval operations, a move
to counter what many Japanese strategists see as an increasingly aggressive
stance by Beijing in the East China Sea.
The unit would consist of about 200 troops based on remote Yonaguni Island,
which is on Japan’s western fringe near Taiwan, and would primarily be tasked
with radar monitoring of Chinese naval operations in the area, according to a
report in the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The report quoted unnamed Japanese Defense Ministry officials as saying a budget
for the unit would be formally submitted soon. Ministry officials contacted by
the Associated Press yesterday said they could not comment on specifics because
the plan was still under discussion.
The ministry has confirmed, however, that it is considering bolstering military
monitoring capabilities in the country’s southwestern islands.
Tokyo is deeply concerned over the growth of the Chinese navy and its posture in
the East China Sea, where the two countries have conflicting territorial claims.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have soured recently because of an incident
in which a Chinese trawler collided with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol ships
in waters near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The islands are controlled
by Japan, but also claimed by Taiwan and China.
After the Sept. 7 collision, Beijing demanded an apology and compensation, but
Tokyo countered by demanding that China pay for the damage to the patrol boats.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday he would discuss the dispute
should he meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) at the APEC summit, which
Japan is hosting this weekend.
Hu is to attend the summit, but Beijing and Tokyo have yet to confirm that Kan
and Hu will hold talks.
China has already rejected an offer by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton to broker three-way talks with Japan over the islands.
Clinton said Washington has no position on which country holds
ultimate sovereignty over the islands.
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