Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera responded on Tuesday to a statement issued by China warning that any bid to shoot down its drones would constitute "an act of war".
Onodera stated that China's continued stance over the disputed islands was jeopardizing peace in the region. The islands in question which are barley worthy of name are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan as it believed the area surrounding the islands has a large undeveloped field of natural gas. Actual known reserves are unknown as there has been little in the way actual exploration or test wells drilled to give an estimate as how much natural gas is contained within the known field.
China and Japan had until last year kept the dispute outside of the public until Tokyo purchased three owned by a family from Saitama just north of Tokyo and nationalized them. With that came open hostility from China including mass demonstrations and a boycott of Japanese made products.
To increase political pressure on Japan the Chinese government started sending Coast Guard and Air Force patrols into the immediate water and air space of the islands. The Japanese government insists that there is no dispute with China as they control islands.
Onodera stated that China's continued stance over the disputed islands was jeopardizing peace in the region. The islands in question which are barley worthy of name are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan as it believed the area surrounding the islands has a large undeveloped field of natural gas. Actual known reserves are unknown as there has been little in the way actual exploration or test wells drilled to give an estimate as how much natural gas is contained within the known field.
China and Japan had until last year kept the dispute outside of the public until Tokyo purchased three owned by a family from Saitama just north of Tokyo and nationalized them. With that came open hostility from China including mass demonstrations and a boycott of Japanese made products.
To increase political pressure on Japan the Chinese government started sending Coast Guard and Air Force patrols into the immediate water and air space of the islands. The Japanese government insists that there is no dispute with China as they control islands.
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