Japan Mulls Easing Rules for Shooting Down Foreign Balloons After Chinese Incursions

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces soldiers ride a Type 99 155mm self-propelled howitzer during a live fire exercise at the training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba city, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on May 22, 2021. (Akio Kon/Pool/Getty Images)

Japan is considering easing the rules for using force against any intrusions by foreign balloons, according to its defense ministry, after reports that Chinese balloons had been seen flying over the country in the past years.

The existing regulations allow the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to only shoot down foreign devices in self-defense or in times of emergency, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

The ministry proposed at a meeting on Feb. 15 that Japan’s military be permitted to use weapons against intrusive objects, given that SDF law allows “necessary measures” to be taken against foreign aircraft intruding Japan’s airspace.

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada made a similar assertion on Feb. 14 that Japan’s military can take necessary measures to bring down foreign balloons violating Japan’s airspace in order to protect its citizens.

Hamada told reporters that the military would be allowed to use weapons, including air-to-air missiles, against foreign balloons in accordance with the SDF law.

“In taking this measure, the appropriate equipment will be used in accordance with the situation,” he told reporters.

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Feb. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson)

The recent downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon by the U.S. military appeared to have brought attention to the fact that similar objects had been spotted flying over Japan in previous years.

On Tuesday, the Japanese defense ministry said that unidentified flying objects spotted in Japan between 2019 and 2021 are “strongly presumed” to be “unmanned reconnaissance balloons flown by China.”

The ministry did not specify the locations where the flying objects were spotted in 2019, 2020, and 2021. It stated that Tokyo contacted Beijing to verify the incidents and demanded that such an incursion never occur again.

The Chinese foreign ministry said it acknowledged Japan’s claims, adding that “Japan needs to be objective and impartial” on the matter.

Beijing previously condemned the U.S. move to shoot down its balloon as “a clear overreaction,” saying that the balloon was a civilian airship that had been blown off-course and posed no threat to national security.

However, Washington said it was likely a sophisticated high-altitude spying vehicle conducting surveillance over sensitive U.S. military sights, including nuclear bases in Montana.

Taiwan also claimed to have detected Chinese balloons flying over the self-ruled island last year and vowed to adopt appropriate measures against new threats, including shooting threats down, based on the level of concern.

‘Bulk-Order’ of US Tomahawk Missiles

Hamada announced on Tuesday that Japan plans to bulk-order Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States by March next year as it begins a rapid military build-up.

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk cruise missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn in the Mediterranean Sea on March 29, 2011. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Hamada said the government seeks to conclude a contract during the next financial year, which begins on April 1, to buy Raytheon Technologies Corp Tomahawks through the U.S. foreign military sales program.

Japan’s latest defense budget, which will jump by a quarter from last year, includes $1.6 billion to buy cruise missiles, part of its biggest military build-up since World War II.

Japan wants the cruise missile to give its military the capability to strike targets far from Japan to deter potential adversaries, including China, from attacking.

The ship-launched version of the munition, which can fly more than 621 miles, would have enough range to hit targets inside China.

The Japanese government approved three key defense documents last December, including the National Security Strategy, which refers to the Chinese regime as Japan’s “greatest challenge.”

The move is widely seen as a departure from Japan’s post-war constitution, which renounces war or the use of force in settling international disputes.

However, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Japan would maintain its exclusively defense-oriented policy, which states that defensive force could only be used in the event of an attack.

Reuters contributed to this report.