Unmanned Chinese surveillance balloons are "strongly suspected" to have flown in Japan's airspace three times since November 2019, the Japanese government has announced.
On Wednesday morning, the Liberal Democratic Party held a joint meeting of its National Defense Division and Research Commission on Security at party headquarters to discuss how to respond to the issue.
According to Minoru Kihara, chairperson of the commission, and other sources, the Defense Ministry revealed at the meeting a policy to consider changing the interpretation of the Self-Defense Forces Law, which stipulates how to respond to intrusions into Japanese airspace.
The law allows the shooting down of aircraft that intrude into Japanese airspace, but the clause primarily refers to fighter jets. It does not assume cases of balloons or unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones.
The ministry is expected to strengthen its countermeasures, with an eye on balloons.
The government on Tuesday demanded through diplomatic channels that the Chinese government confirm the facts and take measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. It told the Chinese side that Japan will never tolerate intrusions into its airspace.
According to the Defense Ministry, it has been confirmed that flying objects believed to be unmanned Chinese surveillance balloons flew in Japanese airspace over Kagoshima Prefecture in November 2019, Miyagi Prefecture in June 2020 and Aomori Prefecture in September 2021.
Because the shape of the flying objects resembled the Chinese spy balloon shot down on Feb. 4 in the United States, the ministry investigated the connection with those spotted over Japan, in cooperation with the United States.
Also, in January 2022, a balloon of unidentified origin was confirmed to be flying over the open sea off western Kyushu.
Under the law, if a foreign aircraft intrudes into Japan's airspace, the defense minister can order the SDF to make the aircraft land or take other necessary actions to get it to leave Japanese airspace.
If a surveillance balloon enters the airspace over Japan, the government plans to take the same kind of action dictated under international law to deal with intrusions by aircraft.
China rejects Japan claims
BEIJING -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson objected strongly Wednesday to the Japanese government's announcement that unmanned surveillance balloons, deemed to have been controlled by China, had been confirmed in Japanese airspace three times since November 2019.
"We firmly reject Japan's attack on China, made without firm evidence of the claim," the spokesperson said at a regular press conference.
Japan, U.S. diplomats share concerns
WASHINGTON -- Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori spoke with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Washington on Tuesday, and the two shared their concerns about China's surveillance balloons.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. side, they said the presence of Chinese surveillance balloons over both Japan and the United States is "provocative behavior" and agreed that "such overflights are a violation of sovereignty and international law."
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