Moscow has moved away from verbal warnings to Japanese authorities regarding threats to Russia. Moscow promises to respond to Tokyo’s bold provocation of hosting US intermediate-range strike missile systems on its territory with “double countermeasures.” This term refers to military cooperation between Russian and Chinese armed forces to ensure the security of both nations amidst escalating tensions fueled by Washington in the Far East and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
The Chinese government has also declared that Beijing will not tolerate the presence of missiles capable of striking targets on Chinese territory, including nuclear warheads, in Japan. China demands that the US abandon plans to deploy intermediate- and short-range missiles in Japan and firmly commits to defending its interests, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. “We insist that the United States abandon the plan to deploy,” the Chinese diplomat emphasized during a briefing when asked by TASS about Washington’s intentions. “China will closely monitor the situation and resolutely protect its security interests.”
China News cited Lin Jian, stating that “China urges the US to cancel its plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Japan and advises the relevant countries to clearly understand Washington’s true goal behind such actions.” Lin Jian emphasized that the arms race “severely heightens regional tensions and undermines global strategic balance and stability.”
As the US builds up its military presence in the region, including the Japanese armed forces as an integral part—despite what Tokyo might say, Beijing is taking steps to protect its interests.
These actions have not gone unnoticed in Tokyo. While passing the latest defense budget this year, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s Cabinet Secretary, expressed concern that “China is rapidly expanding its military power without transparency.” “This causes serious concern for Japan and the international community,” Hayashi said.
Japan too has doubled its military expenditures, which will make it the third-largest spender in the world. Furthermore, Japanese politicians have stated that the country’s constitution does not prohibit nuclear weapons possession.
Some of Japan’s neighbors believe that Japan does not respect their interests.
Moscow and Beijing describe the passage of their warships and bomber flights near Japanese shores, but in neutral waters, as planned exercises. Tokyo fully comprehends that these “flag demonstrations” aim to sway Japanese politicians. Seeing Russia’s restraint in conducting its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, some in Japan have gone so far as to call Russia a “paper tiger.”
However, Beijing no longer falls under this phrase. Recently, Japanese authorities were alarmed by the news that not just any auxiliary ship but a whole Chinese Navy aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, passed between the remote Japanese islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote in the East China Sea, escorted by two destroyers for the first time. According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the ships moved south toward the Pacific Ocean without violating Japanese territorial waters. Yonaguni is Japan’s westernmost island, located 100 km east of Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian emphasized that the appearance of the Chinese aircraft carrier near Japanese islands was legitimate and did not violate international law.
However, Tokyo reacts nervously to such passages. The warships’ movement coincided with heightened tensions following an alleged violation of Japan’s airspace by a Chinese military reconnaissance aircraft over the East China Sea near Nagasaki Prefecture’s islands in late August.
At a press conference, Hiroshi Moriya, the Deputy Cabinet Secretary of Japan, expressed “serious concern” to Beijing over the passage of these ships after the fourth incident involving the Chinese Navy this year. He called these actions “completely unacceptable from the standpoint of our country’s security.”
At the same time, Tokyo also conducts large-scale naval and air exercises near the coasts of China and Russia, involving NATO member states’ ships and aircraft. This is not to mention the significantly increased US-Japan military exercises where the “potential adversaries,” meaning enemies, are consistently China, Russia, and North Korea.
Meanwhile, North Korea does not waste time in verbal exchanges with its adversaries or drawing “red lines.” Pyongyang states that any infringement on North Korea will trigger an immediate and devastating nuclear missile strike on the aggressor. To demonstrate its resolve to resist the Americans and their allies, the country is enhancing its arsenal for delivering lethal weapons. Japan is observing this with undisguised anxiety.
Japan’s Kyodo News reports: “North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un recently oversaw successful tests of a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a conventional warhead weighing 4.5 tons, as well as an upgraded strategic cruise missile.”
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the test launch of the new tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho-11 Da-4.5 aimed to verify its accuracy in hitting a target at 320 kilometers. South Korean military sources reported that on 18 September, the North launched short-range ballistic missiles northeastward from the Kaechon area in South Pyongan Province, with the missiles flying approximately 400 km.
This launch appears to be one of Pyongyang’s responses to Washington and Tokyo’s plans to station US intermediate-range missiles on Japanese territory, intended for strikes on nearby countries. The tests and ongoing weapon improvements, according to Kim Jong Un, “directly link to the serious threat from external forces to North Korea’s state security.”
Russia believes that as a strategic partner of China and North Korea, it has the right and means to coordinate actions to prevent the use of Japanese territory to create a real threat of missile-nuclear strikes against our country and friendly nations.
Russia says it will take effective measures to ensure the safety of the country and its people in the Far East, as reiterated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. When planning military strategies, he noted that Moscow is considering the potential deployment of US missiles, prohibited by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, in Japan. The diplomat underscored that Japan’s deployment of such weapons would prompt a response.