Is China preparing to seize Diaoyu Islands? Japan ex-army chief warns of ‘absorption’ plans

Kiyofumi Iwata points to Beijing’s growing military preparations and incursions in the East China Sea as signs of a potential landing operation

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Chinese and Japanese coastguard vessels sail near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea in April. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

Published: 8:00am, 18 Jun 2025Updated: 10:35am, 18 Jun 2025

A former Japanese military chief has warned that Beijing’s increasingly assertive moves around disputed islands in the East China Sea could be setting the stage for a Chinese landing operation.

While analysts broadly agree that Beijing is seeking to expand control over the Diaoyu Islands, they differ on how close China might be to launching an outright takeover, with some warning of growing military preparations and others cautioning that a full-scale assault remains premature.

In an interview with the conservative Sankei newspaper published on Monday, Kiyofumi Iwata, who previously served as the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force’s chief of staff, said “the next logical step would be a landing and absorption” of the islands, which are known as the Senkakus in Japan.

The uninhabited islets, long a flashpoint in Sino-Japanese ties, are controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.

A Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force surveillance plane flies over the disputed Diaoyu Islands. The islands, long a flashpoint in Sino-Japanese ties, are controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing. Photo: AP

Iwata pointed to China’s growing maritime presence around the islands over the past two years, including the frequent entry of Chinese coastguard vessels into Japanese territorial waters.

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