Expected Escalation

As was expected, the responses were not something moderate. Hawkish legislators of Liberal Democratic Party made a great fuss against China’s new action in the East China Sea, which had set Air Defense Identification Zone overlapping Japan’s zone around Senkaku Islands. Chinese people showed eccentric uproars against Japan. The escalation may diverge from the basic course that Xi Jinping administration tried to stabilize domestic situation by shifting public eyes to foreign nations.

The joint meeting on diplomacy and security of LDP on Tuesday became a stage where the hawks compete their firmness on anti-Chinese standpoint. “We need to amend the Constitution so that we can do warning shooting,” said one legislator. “The Chinese may commit areal invasion to Japan’s territory in a way of Kamikaze suicide attack. We need to make a legislature to shoot them down,” followed another. With few arguments for cooling down, the meeting concluded to request the Government of Japan to take definite attitude toward China.

In China, a poll showed that six out of ten would support shooting illegal foreign aircrafts down in the ADIZ. Nine out of ten expected primacy of Chinese military over Japan by setting the zone.

However, China seems to have been ignoring that the area was not only overlapping Japan’s ADIZ, but recognized by the United States as its own sky. U.S. Force flied two B-52 Bombers over Senkaku area without any notification to China. China made no response to them. If U.S. Force keeps on flying, tension in the zone must eventually be raised. As U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, had mentioned, China’s action only served to increase tensions in the region and create unnecessary risk.

The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, demanded China to withdraw ADIZ. But, afraid of unexpected trouble, commercial flights of Japan Air Line, All Nippon Airways and some minor transporters submitted flight plans to China. Japanese government required them not to do that any more.

Stimulated by growing tensions, South Korea began to consider expanding its own ADIZ overlapping Japan’s zone. Along with the dispute, South Korean people came to realize that an island of their territory had been included in Japan’s ADIZ. Stimulating nationalisms in both countries, enhancing U.S.-Japan alliance, and raising warnings of neighbor countries, it is China who needs to take consequence of its abrupt ambition to the sky.