Retired JMSDF Admiral Calls for Japan to Take Lead in Countering Chinese Gray Zone Tactics
I agree with this retired admiral that Japan should be the country that takes the lead in defending their own homeland from China’s gray zone tactics:
“The fact that Japan and the U.S. — the U.S. military and the Japan Self-Defense Force are frequently holding joint exercises, joint drills — is something that China will be watching,” Yamamoto said. “This is something that is a strong deterrence, especially on the level of the military practitioners.” However, Japan should take the lead responding to Chinese gray zone activities, Yamamoto said. “It needs to be a Japanese response,” he told reporters. “You can have the U.S. as supporting the Japanese response, but … I don’t think we need something where the U.S. is on the front line.”
You can read more at the link about the gray zone tactics being used by China around Japan’s southwest islands, including Okinawa. Another interesting recommendation the admiral makes is that Japan should mobilize not only its military to counter these tactics, but also its government and civilian sectors. He discusses how the Chinese use fishing boats as part of a maritime militia, and it appears the Japanese admiral thinks Japan should do the same thing in response.
