Japan's defence guidelines call for enhanced air, sea surveillance

Japan will strengthen the warning and surveillance capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to ensure security in the air and sea around the country, at a time when China is showing increased assertiveness, Kyodo News Agency reported Wednesday, citing a draft outline of new defense guidelines. The draft outline also says the SDF needs to bolster the ability to defend remote islands from attacks, as the Defense Ministry is now considering the introduction of drones and amphibious forces to defend the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, at the heart of bilateral tensions between Tokyo and Beijing, the report said. The ability to carry out such a defense would depend on the rapid gathering of information, and cooperation with the US military in surveillance and warning activities, according to the draft, copy of which was obtained by Kyodo. The Cabinet is expected to approve the guidelines in mid-December after final changes are made. Japan's concerns about security stem chiefly from China's maritime assertiveness and North Korea's missile and nuclear development programs. China announced Saturday an airspace defense identification zone that overlaps Japan's over the East China Sea, where the disputed Senkakus are located, prompting a swift protest from Tokyo. After taking office in December, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a review of the existing defense guidelines as part of efforts to rework the country's defense posture. Japan is moving toward the launch of its own version of the US National Security Council and lifting a ban on exercising the right of collective self-defense, or defending an ally under armed attack. The finalized guidelines are expected to call for a review of the country's longtime arms embargo and introducing high-speed, cannon-equipped maneuver combat vehicles that weigh less than conventional tanks, as well as high-speed small destroyers, a government source was quoted as saying