Japan Says China's New Defense Zone Unenforceable

(AP) Japan says China’s new defense zone unenforceable
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO
China’s new maritime air defense zone is unenforceable and dangerous, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday, in a continuing war of words over air space that includes the area above islands claimed by both.

Abe told a parliamentary session that China’s declaration of an air defense identification zone alters the state of affairs in the East China Sea and escalates a tense situation.

On Saturday, Beijing issued a map of the zone and a set of rules which say all aircraft must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey Beijing’s orders.

Abe said the measures one-sidedly impose rules set by the Chinese military on all flights in the zone, and violate the freedom to fly above open sea, a general principle under the international law. Abe also slammed China for showing the disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, as Chinese territory in the zone.

Since taking office almost a year ago, Abe has been spearheading a move to step up Japan’s defense capability, citing threats from China’s growing maritime and military presence in the region. Japan has had a similar zone since the 1960s.

South Korea also complained Monday about the Chinese zone, which includes the air space above a set of submerged rocks that are controlled by Seoul but also claimed by Beijing.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry summoned China’s military attache in Seoul, saying the zone is unacceptable because it was drawn unilaterally, according to ministry officials. Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said South Korea’s control over the area remains unchanged and Seoul won’t notify China when its planes pass through the region.

Earlier Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it had complained to the United States over its “irresponsible remarks” about China’s drawing up of the zone for the disputed islands, which are administered by Japan.

China’s Defense Ministry also called Japan’s objections to its East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone “absolutely groundless and unacceptable” and said it had made solemn representations to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement Sunday that the zone’s aim is to defend China’s sovereignty and the security of its airspace and land. He said it is not aimed at any country and it does not affect freedom of overflight.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel have both said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about China’s action.

Qin said China told U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke on Sunday that the U.S. should “to correct its mistakes and stop making irresponsible remarks on China.”

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said the ministry had complained to the U.S. Embassy’s military attache on Sunday evening.

The U.S. doesn’t take a position on who has sovereignty over the islands but recognizes they are under Japanese administration.

Along with a rise in its economic and military power in recent years, China has become more assertive over its maritime claims.

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Associated Press writers Yuriko Nagano in Tokyo, Louise Watt in Beijing and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul contributed to this story.