The past few months have put the Japan Coast Guard and Air Self-Defense Force to the test, as they defend the nation¡¯s territorial waters and airspace around the Senkaku islets in the East China Sea, a flash point for potential military clashes with China.
China continues to send ships around the Japan-controlled islets, which are also claimed by Taiwan. While both the coast guard and Self-Defense Forces plan to significantly beef up their presence around the uninhabited islets, this also increases the chances of unintended conflict, experts say.
¡°The situation has started to be like playing chicken. The Chinese are waiting for the Japanese side to give up,¡± said Tetsuo Kotani, a fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, a nonprofit think tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry.
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