© EuronewsJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will not tolerate the use of force to change the region's status quo.
It is a coded expression widely understood by analysts to refer to what Tokyo sees as China's aggressive maritime expansion. It could lead to a change in Japan's defence policy.
"The security situation surrounding Japan has become more serious. Self Defence Force members must let go of the old notions that all you need to do in peace time is training and that defence forces can be a deterrent just by existing," said Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Within the region the development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles by North Korea is also a threat to Japan's sovereignty said the PM.
The growing tensions between Asia's two largest economies heightened with reported comments Shinzo Abe approved a policy to shoot down foreign drones that ignored warnings to leave Japan's airspace. Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Geng Yansheng responded: "If Japan does what it says like shooting down planes it is a serious provocation to us, it is an act of war. We will surely undertake decisive action to strike back."
The disputed claims over the islands in the East China Sea reflects, say analysts the power shift created by China's meteoric and diplomatic rise while Japan has been struggling in a two-decade economic slump.
is nothing new. Trying to play on people's patriotic feelings? 'Nice' try. The exact same maneuvre was performed before, during the World War, when kamikaze, young boys included, were dying, basically committing suicides, for their fatherland and the emperor. What was the result of it? Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing by the US military forces, and many other cities in Japan burned to the crisp with people living in them as a result of conventional bombing campaigns. What I see here is ruling elite is trying to distract people of Japan from seeing what is going on in their own back yard, i.e. Fukushima disaster, and prevent them from smoking out all of those snakes in suits who are responsible for it. People don't get distracted! Look at all those who lied to you since the Fukushima plant 'accident', look at those who want to conduct Olympic games in Japan, i.e. Japan's Olympic Committee, or build amusements parks, who lie to you about safety of the food you eat, water you drink and air you breath. I think this needs to be addressed quickly, so all of their names will be known.