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Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologized
Recently, Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been in trouble. First, warships trespassed into China's territorial waters, and then internal corruption scandals erupted. This series of events cannot help but make Japan wonder: Is Japan's national defense still reliable?
Let's start with the "Trek" warship. On July 4, the destroyer Suzuki of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force entered China's territorial waters without China's permission. It is an international practice that it is not child's play to enter the territorial waters of other countries, and prior approval is required. However, in the face of repeated warnings from the Chinese side, the "uninvited guest" not only turned a deaf ear, but instead sped in, staying in China's territorial waters for about 20 minutes.
Japan Maritime Self-Governing Month "凉月号"
This kind of behavior, in diplomatic terms, is "provocation", and in the vernacular, it is to find fault. More sensitively, Chinese warships were conducting missile drills in nearby waters. Japan's actions at this moment cannot help but make people speculate about its intentions: Is it intended to gather intelligence, or is it deliberately provoking incidents?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned the Japanese side at a press conference that foreign military vessels entering China's territorial waters without permission is an illegal act, and China will deal with it in accordance with laws and regulations. In the face of doubts from all sides, Japan's Ministry of Defense hastily explained that the incident was due to "technical errors and accidental entry into China's territorial waters." He also claimed that he had no intention of provoking. However, given the advanced navigation systems equipped with modern warships, this explanation is doubtful.
Some military experts have analyzed that the "lost" of Japan's warship is likely to be interfered with by China's electronic warfare exercises. This explanation is not only plausible, but also tinged with irony. If true, this undoubtedly exposes the shortcomings of Japan's Self-Defense Forces in terms of electronic countermeasures capabilities.
While public opinion is speculating about how Japan will end, Fumio Kishida has taken a surprising step. On July 12, the Japan prime minister publicly apologized and announced the punishment of 218 members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The scale of this disposition is rare in the history of Japan.
In this punishment, the supreme commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Maritime Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai, was also forced to resign. This is equivalent to the dismissal of Japan's naval commander, which shows the seriousness of the situation.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces Staff Officer Ryo Sakai
Fumio Kishida ostensibly attributed the large-scale punishment to the "leak" incident that was previously exposed. However, the coincidence of the timing is reminiscent of the "trespass on territorial waters" incident that China has demanded a thorough investigation.
What is somewhat interesting is that when the incident of the "Cool Moon" trespassing into territorial waters was exposed, the Japan military immediately launched an investigation into the captain of the destroyer "Cool Moon" Takahata Yasuhiro and canceled the scheduled open tour of the ship. This series of hasty and obvious moves undoubtedly exposed the panic in Japan's heart. They seem to have realized the gravity of the situation and are doing everything in their power to quell this diplomatic crisis that could jeopardize Sino-Japanese relations.
Therefore, when the Chinese Foreign Ministry made it clear that the Japanese side would thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi avoided talking about this, seemingly intending to use time to downplay the seriousness of the incident.
However, such a perfunctory attitude clearly does not solve the problem. If China had taken tough measures in accordance with international practice at that time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Even if the Japanese side insists that it was a "technical mistake", once the situation escalates, there will be no room for explanation.
Therefore, Fumio Kishida's big move this time is likely not only to deal with the "leak" scandal, but also to try to send some kind of signal to China. However, it is still questionable whether this practice of "grafting flowers and trees" can really solve the problem.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Let's take a look at the so-called "leak" incident on the Japanese side. In April, the media revealed that the Japan destroyer Inazuma allowed an ordinary soldier who was not qualified for secrecy to enter the command center and directly handle classified documents. Incredibly, this has been going on for 10 years. This action by the Japan military is undoubtedly a serious disregard for national defense security.
The results of the subsequent investigation were even more shocking. More than one warship had similar problems, and more than 10 warships were found to have similar security vulnerabilities. This has further shaken the confidence of Japan people in the Self-Defense Forces.
However, the problems of the Self-Defense Forces go far beyond that. From divers falsely reporting their diving depth to defrauding allowances, to colluding with military companies to enrich themselves, these misdeeds have been going on for years. According to reports, the Maritime Self-Defense Force colluded with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which is responsible for repairing the warship, to falsely report data and conduct false transactions. As a result, more than 1 billion yen of stolen money was obtained, which was used to bribe officials or eat, drink and have fun. And this has been the case for more than 20 years.
These acts not only harm the interests of their own people, but also seriously weaken the fighting capacity and credibility of the Self-Defense Forces. No wonder Japan netizens have expressed their "disappointment" with the Self-Defense Forces. Some Japan media even commented that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was "full of devastation." Who can rest assured that the security of the country's maritime security will be entrusted to such an army?
So, what is the motivation behind the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's action? What motivates them to take such risks, not hesitating to touch China's bottom line, even risking a serious diplomatic crisis, to trespass into the mainland's territorial waters? Some analysts believe that this is inseparable from the United States factor.
In recent years, United States has been stepping up its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. From the Philippines' frequent provocations in the South China Sea to United Kingdom's new Prime Minister Starmer's intention to challenge China. There are signs that the United States is stepping up pressure on China.
Against the backdrop of United States' intensification of containment of China, Japan, as United States' most important ally and bridgehead in the Asia-Pacific region, may feel compelled to demonstrate its presence and influence in regional affairs. Moreover, in the face of China's growing maritime power, Japan may also want to test China's bottom line through this dangerous "temptation". However, this time the operation of the "Liangyue" was obviously too hasty, and not only did it not achieve the expected results, but it set itself on fire.
Whatever Japan's intentions, however, the venture exposed major problems in their decision-making and response to the crisis. This not only did not bring them any benefit, but on the contrary, it exposed the shortcomings of the Self-Defense Forces in terms of military capabilities and strategic vision. This move by the Japanese side has also caused another wave in Sino-Japanese relations, which are not very calm, and the atmosphere between the two countries has once again become tense. It can be said that Japan is really self-defeating this time and has caused itself a lot of trouble. #长文创作激励计划#