Japan and US plan joint armed forces response to Chinese threats to disputed Diaoyu Islands
- US committed to defending Japan under Article 5 of the two countries’ security treaty
- Plan being drawn up assumes such emergencies as armed Chinese fishermen landing on the islands
Japan and the United States are drawing up an operations plan for a combined response by their armed forces to Chinese threats to disputed islands, Japanese government sources said.
The Japanese and US governments are already discussing how to respond in the event of an emergency on or around the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, the sources said, and aim to finish crafting the plan by next March.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has said Washington’s commitment to defend Japan under Article 5 of the two countries’ security treaty extends to the Senkaku Islands. The article obliges the United States to help protect territory under Japanese administration in the case of an armed attack.
But the US government has repeatedly said it will take no position on the issue of sovereignty over the Japan-administrated islands, which China claims and calls the Diaoyu.
By working out a plan to deal with a potential military conflict with China, Japan is hoping the United States will take a more active role regarding the sovereignty issue.
