Japan activates China surveillance radar in Diaoyu/Senkaku

Japan today put into operation a radar station in the East China Sea, helping to enhance the country's intelligence-gathering capabilities in the area with a chain of islands disputed with China.

The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea have long been the focus of dispute between Japan and China. Photo: Kyodo

The new base of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is located on Yonaguni Island, south of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands group, and about 144 km east of Taiwan, according to AFP.

"This radar station will provoke China," said Nozomu Yoshitomi, a professor at Nihon University in Japan, adding that in addition to being a surveillance facility, the radar station could also be used to support Japan's military activities in the region.

The move is part of Tokyo’s plan to expand its military presence on the island chain, which stretches 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the Japanese mainland. Japanese lawmakers said last year that it was pursuing a strategy to contain Beijing in the Western Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

"A network of overlapping radar stations spread along the island chain will enhance Japan's ability to monitor all activities taking place in the East China Sea," said Toshi Yoshihara, a professor at the US Naval War College.

Diaoyu/Senkaku is a group of eight rocky islands located about 482 km from Japan's Okinawa archipelago, controlled by Japan since 1895. China also claims sovereignty over this group of islands.The waters around Senkaku/Diaoyu are believed to be rich in fish and oil and gas resources and are also located on an important shipping route in the East China Sea.

Japanese islands want to increase their presence in the East China Sea. Graphic: Japan Focus

According to VNE