US Ally Gives Military Shootdown Authorization Against Chinese Drones

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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The Japanese government has authorized its military to use force to bring down unmanned aerial aircraft that enter the country's airspace, a policy change with implications for the Japan Self-Defense Forces' responses to the uptick in Chinese drone activity around its territory.
In late June, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba authorized the shootdown, permitted even in the absence of an immediate threat to life, according to Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper.
Newsweek has contacted the Japanese prime minister's office and the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Japan, a key U.S. treaty ally, is evolving its security policies to reflect the changing landscape of modern warfare, in particular the increasingly sophisticated uncrewed platforms developed by neighboring China.
While the approach is unlikely to affect the defense of Japan's main islands, it leaves open the possibility of an armed clash around the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, which Tokyo controls and Beijing claims.
A photograph released by Japan's Joint Staff Office on April 24 shows a Chinese military TB-001 unmanned combat aerial vehicle operating in international airspace near Japan's southwestern islands.
A photograph released by Japan's Joint Staff Office on April 24 shows a Chinese military TB-001 unmanned combat aerial vehicle operating in international airspace near Japan's southwestern islands.
Japan Joint Staff Office
What To Know
Under a previous legal framework, Japan's air force pilots were permitted to take "necessary measures" against unmanned aircraft entering Japanese airspace but were not allowed to fire upon drones that did not pose a direct threat to human life.
An expanded interpretation of the policy was first announced in February 2023 but only formally adopted by Ishiba's Cabinet last month, the Sankei Shimbun reported. Jin Matsubara, an independent lawmaker representing a district in Tokyo, received confirmation of the policy shift in response to a written inquiry to the government.
In the fiscal year 2024, which concluded at the end of March, Japan's air force jets were scrambled 704 times to intercept Chinese and Russian aircraft approaching its airspace, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry report.
Last year, 30 Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles were detected operating in Japan's air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, data showed. An ADIZ is a buffer zone that extends beyond sovereign airspace, used to identify nearby civilian and military aircraft.
Japan's air force has intercepted 11 Chinese drones since the fiscal year 2025 began in April, according to reports released by the Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry. All the activity was detected around Japan's southwestern islands and matched movements reported in Taiwan's air defense zone by the island's Defense Ministry.
Photos published by the Joint Staff Office showed at least three Chinese drone types: the BZK-005, TB-001 and Wing Loong 2 reconnaissance platforms.
Last August, Japan said a crewed Chinese intelligence-gathering plane had violated the airspace above an islet near its southernmost main island of Kyushu. China's Foreign Ministry at the time said the intrusion was unintentional but did not apologize publicly.
Elsewhere in the East China Sea, however, both sides have accused the other of breaching claimed sovereign airspace above the Senkaku island group, which is covered under the U.S.-Japan security treaty. Additionally, Tokyo and Beijing have recently feuded over Chinese gas exploration activities in shared waters.
What People Are Saying
Jin Matsubara, a Japanese lawmaker, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on June 30: "With the rapid changes in security, particularly in military matters, we must constantly update our efforts."
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on June 25: "China upholds and remains committed to the comprehensive and effective implementation of the principled consensus on the East China Sea issue. We hope Japan will work in the same direction with China and make an effort to resume the intergovernmental negotiation between the two countries at an early date."
What Happens Next
Japan's military is developing ground-based anti-drone technology that includes direct energy weapons, or lasers. In the air, its air force jets must rely on missiles and guns to engage drones that breach its sovereign airspace.
To date, none of the Chinese drones detected near Japanese territory has been accused of entering Japan's airspace. The policy change could nonetheless add to existing friction between the two governments.