Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Japan has planned to deploy long-range surveillance drones on remote Pacific islands, marking a significant expansion of its ability to monitor Chinese naval activity, as Beijing’s warships operate more frequently beyond the first island chain.
The drones are to be stationed on Iwo Jima and Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara chain south of Tokyo, according to a report by the Yomiuri newspaper published on May 18.
The airfield on Minamitorishima, about 1,950km (1,211 miles) southeast of Tokyo and Japan’s easternmost point, will also be used to complement the drones’ deployment.
The aim will be to provide real-time intelligence in an area that is currently a surveillance “blind spot”, government sources told the Yomiuri.
Such a view has taken on greater importance as Chinese naval activity expands into waters east of Okinawa and deeper into the western Pacific, according to Japanese defence assessments and regional security analysts.
The first island chain refers to a key US security doctrine spanning a vast area from the Kamchatka peninsula in the northeast to the Malay peninsula in the southwest, including Japanese territory.
“This decision is in line with Tokyo’s sharpening threat assessments, especially with regard to the increased pressure caused by Chinese maritime activity” beyond the first island chain, said William Yang, a Taiwan-based analyst for the International Crisis Group.
Official protest
In December, Japan delivered an official protest after Chinese fighters from the aircraft carrier Liaoning locked their radar onto Japanese jets off Okinawa. A week later, two Chinese and two Russian bombers carried out a joint exercise, during which they flew between the islands of Okinawa prefecture and into airspace over the Pacific.
Enhancing surveillance of areas around Japan is expected to be a key goal of revised national security documents.