The Senkaku Islands and Japan
169Improvement of self-defense capabilities
It is already clear that Japan has heavily depended on the U.S. for securing
its national defense for more than half a century. The United States is a
sheet anchor for Japan, so to speak. Yet, it is a matter of course that Japan
has the primary responsibility for defending itself, including the Senkaku
Islands,^15 and faces the stringent necessity of establishing an effective
maritime law-enforcement capability and a self-defense capability in order
to ward off the PRC’s outrageous provocations and rapid military
expansion. It is surprising that the JSDF currently does not possess the
capability to recapture occupied remote islands from enemy, also known
as a “Marine Corps.”^16 From this perspective, it is obvious that Japan is
facing the necessity of improving its self defense capabilities.
When Prime Minister Abe made a speech at the celebration held in his
honor after he received the Herman Khan prize at the Hudson Institute, he
said, “Japan should not be the weak link in the regional and global security
framework where the U.S. plays a leading role,”^17 and indicated his
intention to improve Japan’s self defense capabilities in order to
strengthen the alliance.
Enhancing maritime law-enforcement capability
Before anything else, it is important to maintain Japan’s current effective
control over the Senkaku Islands and prevent the Chinese from landing on
the islands until rational negotiations begin between Japan and China. To
prevent an unexpected military clash, both Japan and the PRC assign coast
guard vessels, as opposed to a military fleet, to conduct maritime law
enforcement around the Senkaku Islands. Japan possesses about 50 coast
guard vessels larger than 1,000t, which is the minimum required size for
patrolling on outer seas, and the PRC currently has more than 40 vessels
over 1,000t.
Japan dispatches patrol vessels from the 11th Regional Coast Guard
Headquarters, which patrol daily around the islands. Still, the number of
patrol vessels is not enough to keep deploying continuously around the
Senkaku Islands, and the Japanese Coast Guard has to also deploy vessels
(^15) The guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation, revised in September 1997,
set up Japan’s primary responsibilities for defending itself.
(^16) The USA, Russia, the PRC, South Korea and North Korea all possess a kind of
Marine Corps; Japan does not.
(^17) The Prime Minister’s remarks, delivered at the Hudson Institute’s 2013 Herman
Kahn Luncheon, September 25, 2013.