The Japanese government is considering introducing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with early warning radar to enhance its response capabilities against China's military threats and is also reviewing plans to redeploy radar on islands in key Pacific regions, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 18th.

According to the report, the Japanese government is considering introducing UAVs equipped with early warning radar to its Self-Defense Forces to quickly detect a wide range of military threats, aiming to strengthen Pacific defense.

The Japanese government also intends to include measures to strengthen its Pacific surveillance and monitoring system in its three key security documents, which are scheduled to be revised within the year with the goal of enhancing its defense capabilities.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the most likely candidate for the UAV to be equipped with early warning radar is the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, a long-endurance UAV that the Maritime Self-Defense Force plans to introduce next year.

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is known to have a range of 4,900 km.

Plans are being considered to utilize the runways on Iwo Jima, where Japan fiercely battled US forces in World War II, or Minami Torishima for the takeoff and landing of unmanned early warning aircraft.

The Japanese government also plans to adjust the deployment of radar on islands located within the second island chain (China's maritime security line) that connects the Ogasawara Islands with Guam, Saipan, and Indonesia.

The Yomiuri Shimbun explained that the introduction of UAVs equipped with early warning radar and the plan to expand mobile radar deployment in key Pacific regions are aimed at enhancing deterrence against China, which is expanding its military activities by refining its surveillance network in the Pacific, an area considered to have surveillance "blind spots."

The newspaper reported that the Chinese military is seeking to establish a military strategy to prevent the approach of US forces inside the second island chain in case of contingencies such as an armed conflict with Taiwan.

The Japanese government is concerned about China's increasing presence in the Pacific in recent years, with two Chinese aircraft carriers deploying simultaneously for the first time in June last year.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the number of takeoffs and landings of Chinese carrier-based aircraft in the Pacific has increased from approximately 320 in 2022 to about 1,460 last year, and the number of Chinese aircraft carrier deployments in the Pacific has also increased from 2 to 5 during the same period.

The Japanese government is focusing on deterring the expansion of Chinese military power in areas like the East China Sea, having recently launched the "Pacific Defense Concept Office" within the Ministry of Defense's planning bureau.

Training photos of the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers released by China Central Television (CCTV) [CCTV Capture]

US-made drone MQ-9B [EPA Yonhap News Agency file photo]

The PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, criticized Japan's strengthening of its unmanned equipment capabilities, including UAVs, as a dangerous gamble with a strong offensive character.

The PLA Daily stated, "Japan's construction of unmanned operational capabilities is clearly offensive in nature," and pointed out, "The deployment of Japan's unmanned equipment will be concentrated in the southwestern islands."

It further argued, "They are attempting to build a so-called 'shield'-type multi-layered coastal attack and defense system, but while it is named a shield, it is actually a 'spear.'"

The PLA Daily's assessment is that when combined with the "Type 25 anti-ship missile" that Japan has already deployed and the Tomahawk cruise missiles it is pursuing, it could become an offensive system that deters at the front lines.

Japan, citing the acquisition of "counter-strike capabilities," deployed the "Type 25 guided anti-ship missile," with a range of approximately 1,000 km, at the Kengun base in Kumamoto Prefecture on March 31st. This missile can reach China's densely populated eastern coastal areas such as Shanghai, as well as waters near Taiwan.

The PLA Daily criticized these moves to strengthen offensive unmanned equipment as a "dangerous gamble," stating, "This is a fundamental shift in (Japan's) defense policy and will only lead itself into a more dangerous abyss."

It added, "Those who go against the tide of the times will inevitably invite counterattack. Regional countries and the international community are always highly vigilant about Japan's relevant actions."

Citing foreign media reports, the PLA Daily also stated that Japan's information gathering satellite network began operations last month and that it can be used to provide real-time target location information to unmanned equipment.