Tokyo (Japan), December 8, 2008 (ANI): Japan will not call China a threat in its revised National Security Strategy. The document, along with two other security documents, will be reviewed next week. According to Japanese news agency Kyodo, sources from government agencies, the report was Thursday.
Japan’s new security paper may still use the word “threat”, in reference to China’s launch on August of ballistic missiles. Japan fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone as a result, according to the report.
The Japane government plans to keep what ties it still has with China after the Asian countries held their first summit for three years in November.
Japan reported on August 4th that five Chinese ballistic missiles were damaged during Chinese drills in Taiwan.
The territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands has complicated relations between China and Japan. These islands were under the control and jurisdiction of the United States in World War 2. They were transferred to Japan on 1972. China denies Japan sovereignty over the islands. Japan believes China’s claims to the islands are a result of the discovery in 1970s of valuable minerals on their shelf.
Relations between Tokyo and Beijing improved in 2018 after the visit by then- Japanese Prime Min Shinzo Abe, who visited China in June 2018. This included the creation of an emergency communication link to prevent accidental armed clashes at sea and in the air. (who visited China in June 2018. This included the creation of an emergency communication link to prevent accidental armed clashes at sea and in the air ANI)
