Japan's defense minister, asked about 'structures resembling SDF aircraft in Chinese desert,' says 'expansion of Chinese military activity is a fact'

TOKYO

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (小泉進次郎) said at a news conference held after a Cabinet meeting in the first-floor lobby of the House of Representatives annex on the morning of the 23rd that "it is a fact that China is expanding and intensifying its military activities around Japan." It was a response to a question about whether the government had confirmed a think tank analysis that structures resembling SDF aircraft, such as the Air Self-Defense Force's E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft, had been installed in a Chinese desert area. Koizumi declined to assess individual matters, including that analysis. The same week, Japan's Joint Staff announced, one after another, activities near Japan by five Chinese navy ships and three Y-9 military aircraft.

Reporter asks whether government has confirmed structures resembling SDF aircraft such as the E-767

The news conference ran from 8:42 a.m. to 8:47 a.m. local time on Friday the 23rd. According to the transcript released by the Ministry of Defense, there were three questions in total that day, and the exchange on China was a single one, the second question. The first question asked about expectations for working-level consultations that the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party will begin next month ahead of revising the three security documents within the year. Koizumi replied that the ministry's administrative officials had been instructed to communicate thoroughly with the ruling parties and that the ministry would continue to cooperate closely with them.

The reporter who asked the question first described a news report. The reporter said a Japanese newspaper had reported, as an analysis by the think tank Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, that structures similar to several SDF aircraft, such as the ASDF's E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft, had been installed in a desert area in China ("中国の砂漠地帯において、航空自衛隊の早期警戒管制機Ｅ－７６７など複数の自衛隊機に類似した構造物が設置されている").

The reporter then asked two things. One was whether the government had confirmed the structures ("この構造物について政府として確認はしているのでしょうか"). The other was whether the minister had any analysis of or reaction to structures modeled on SDF aircraft being installed in a Chinese desert ("自衛隊機に似せられた構造物が中国の砂漠に設置されていることへの分析や受け止めがあれば伺います").

The only location the question gave for the structures was "a desert area in China" ("中国の砂漠地帯"). The ministry neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the structures that day.

Koizumi avoids individual assessments but states expansion of Chinese military activity as fact

Koizumi began by referring to the role of think tanks. Koizumi said that, in general, it is meaningful for think tanks to put out various information, analyses and assessments, stimulating active debate and building a shared understanding with society ("一般に、シンクタンクが様々な情報や分析・評価を発信して、議論が活発に行われて、世の中と認識が共有されていくことは有意義なことだと思います").

Koizumi then answered that the ministry would refrain from giving its assessment of each individual item, including the case raised, but that it is a fact that China is expanding and intensifying its military activities around Japan ("御指摘の件を含む個別の内容の逐一についての我々の評価は控えますが、中国が我が国周辺での軍事活動を拡大・活発化させていることは事実です").

Koizumi did not answer whether the government had directly confirmed the structures.

Minister calls Chinese military trends a serious concern for Japan and the international community

Koizumi concluded the answer by saying such Chinese military trends are a serious concern for Japan and the international community, and that Japan intends to continue watching them with strong interest while responding calmly and resolutely ("こうした中国の軍事動向等は我が国と国際社会の深刻な懸念であり、引き続き、強い関心を持って注視しながら、冷静かつ毅然と対応していく考えです").

This question was followed by a question about Russia, and no further questions were asked about the Chinese structures. The reporter asked for the minister's position on the Russian Foreign Ministry's announcement that it regards Japanese company Terra Drone's sale of drones to Ukraine as a "hostile act" and will respond strictly. Koizumi said Russia is one of the world's leading arms exporters, uses North Korean-made missiles and ammunition in its attacks on Ukraine and is sending North Korean soldiers to the battlefield, calling this a clear violation of UN resolutions. Koizumi also said there is no problem as long as Japanese private companies operate in accordance with the law.

The minister made two announcements directly at the start of the news conference. One was that coordination with the U.S. side had been completed on closing the "LZ Phoenix" helicopter landing zone at Camp Schwab in Okinawa Prefecture after consolidating its functions by upgrading the nearby "LZ Rail." The minister said the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee agreed the previous day to carry out site preparation and other work as part of the LZ Rail upgrade. Koizumi said the timing of the closure would be announced separately. The other was the schedule for Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen to visit Japan on the 26th for a meeting of the two countries' defense ministers.

Joint Staff says 5 Chinese ships passed through Osumi Strait and Miyako waters on 16th-17th

On the 20th, three days before the minister's news conference, the Joint Staff announced the movements of two Chinese navy ships. According to the announcement, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force at around 11 p.m. on Friday the 16th spotted a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 121) and a Fuyu-class fast combat support ship (hull number 901) sailing southeast in waters about 140 km west of Kuchinoerabu Island.

The two ships continued sailing east the next day, the 17th, and passed through the Osumi Strait into the Pacific Ocean. The Joint Staff said "JMSDF assets monitored the activities of these vessels." It did not name the ships or aircraft deployed for the monitoring.

A day earlier, on the 19th, the Joint Staff had also announced the movements of three Chinese navy ships. This took place over the same period, the 16th to 17th, during which ships 121 and 901 moved toward the Osumi Strait.

According to that announcement, the MSDF at around 4 p.m. on Friday the 16th spotted three Chinese navy ships proceeding northeast in waters about 220 km south of Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture. They were a Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 122), a Jiangkai II-class frigate (hull number 576) and a Fuchi-class replenishment ship (hull number 889). On Saturday the 17th, the three ships passed northwest through the waters between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island and headed for the East China Sea.

The Joint Staff said P-1 patrol aircraft of the MSDF's Fleet Air Wing 1 (Kanoya) and Fleet Air Wing 5 (Naha) conducted surveillance and information gathering.

Y-9 patrol and intelligence-gathering aircraft appear over East China Sea and Pacific two days running, ASDF fighters scramble

The Joint Staff on the 23rd also issued two announcements on Chinese military aircraft activity. According to the first, the Air Self-Defense Force detected Chinese military aircraft over the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday the 20th. The aircraft types listed in the attached activity summary were one Y-9 patrol aircraft and one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft. The Joint Staff said "JASDF fighters conducted scrambles to monitor the activity of these aircraft."

The second announcement covered the following day. The ASDF detected one Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft over the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean from the morning to the afternoon of Wednesday the 21st, and fighters were scrambled again. Neither announcement said how many fighters were scrambled.

Chinese ships also went out through Osumi Strait in summer and returned via waters between islands

The Osumi Strait and the waters between Okinawa and Miyako also appeared repeatedly in Joint Staff announcements this summer. According to a July 7 announcement, the MSDF at around 4 a.m. that day spotted a Chinese navy Luyang II-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 153) and a Jiangkai II-class frigate (hull number 599) sailing west in waters about 50 km northeast of Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. The two ships passed between Amami Oshima and Yokoate Island, sailed southwest and headed for the East China Sea. The Joint Staff said destroyer 153 was the same ship that passed east through the Osumi Strait on June 29, and frigate 599 was the same ship that passed southeast between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island on June 26. On that occasion, a P-1 patrol aircraft of Fleet Air Wing 1 (Kanoya) and a P-3C patrol aircraft of Fleet Air Wing 5 (Naha) conducted surveillance.

The July 30 announcement followed the same pattern. The MSDF at around 4 a.m. that day spotted a Jiangkai II-class frigate (hull number 546) and a Renhai-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 101) sailing northwest in waters about 100 km northeast of Miyako Island. The two ships passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island and headed for the East China Sea. The Joint Staff said frigate 546 was the same ship that passed east through the Osumi Strait on June 27-28, and destroyer 101 the same ship that did so on June 28. Frigate 546 had also passed northwest between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island on July 25, then turned around southwest of Kume Island and passed south through the same waters. The activity table in the announcement also lists a Fuchi-class replenishment ship (hull number 902) for the June 27-28 and July 25 transits. On that occasion, the "Hamana" (Sasebo) of the MSDF's 1st Maritime Supply Unit and a P-3C of Fleet Air Wing 5 (Naha) handled surveillance.

In July, 3 Chinese ships sailed north along the Japanese archipelago with a Russian frigate

There was also a larger-scale movement. According to a July 29 Joint Staff announcement, a Chinese navy Renhai-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 103), a Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer (hull number 124) and a Fuchi-class replenishment ship (hull number 903), together with a Russian navy Steregushchiy-class frigate (hull number 343), passed south between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island on July 16.

The four ships then passed in turn southwest of Okinotori Island on the 19th; southeast of Minami-Iwo Island and east of Iwo Island on the 21st; southeast and northwest of Inubosaki in Chiba Prefecture on the 23rd (with the Renhai-class listed separately that day); and southeast of Cape Nosappu in Hokkaido on the 25th. At around 8 a.m. on the 27th, they sailed west in waters about 70 km northeast of Cape Soya in Hokkaido and exited through the Soya Strait. The Ministry of Defense and the SDF conducted surveillance and information gathering with the "Suzunami" (Ominato) of the MSDF's 4th Surface Squadron, the "Kumataka" (Yoichi) of the 5th Patrol Defense Unit and a P-3C of Fleet Air Wing 2 (Hachinohe).

According to an August 3 Joint Staff announcement, the three Chinese ships that had moved with the Russian frigate in July reappeared at around 9 p.m. on August 2 in waters about 50 km northeast of Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture. The three ships passed southwest through the Tsushima Strait on the 2nd-3rd and headed for the East China Sea. On that occasion, the "Shirataka" (Sasebo) of the MSDF's 3rd Patrol Defense Unit and a P-1 of Fleet Air Wing 4 (Atsugi) handled surveillance and information gathering. The Russian frigate does not appear in the August announcement.

Ministry also cited carrier, drills around Taiwan and drones as examples of expanded Chinese activity in June

Wording similar to Koizumi's answer on the 23rd also came up at a ministry news conference in June. At a news conference by the Ministry of Defense press secretary held in the ministry's press room on June 2, a reporter asked for Japan's position on a Chinese foreign ministry deputy spokesperson's rejection, as "hypocritical," of Koizumi's proposal for dialogue with China at the Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue).

The press secretary said the Chinese side was repeating claims not based on facts in response to Koizumi's remarks, calling it a regrettable reaction. The press secretary then presented figures. China's defense spending, counting only the published portion, is about 40.1 trillion yen, an increase of 15.4 trillion yen in the four years since the previous three security documents were drawn up, the press secretary said. Citing the U.S. Department of Defense's annual report, the press secretary also said it has been pointed out that China's nuclear warheads numbered in the low 600s as of 2024 and will exceed 1,000 by 2030. China has 219 bombers, a type Japan does not possess, and has added more than 80 in the past 10 years, the press secretary added. The press secretary said the figures were from published materials and estimates by credible institutions, and that the Chinese government itself lacks transparency about its military capabilities and equipment.

The press secretary also cited examples of activity: Chinese aircraft carrier activity east of Iwo Island, intensified military activity including large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, and frequent drone activity on the Pacific side ("中国側の空母の硫黄島の東側での活動、それから台湾周辺での大規模な軍事演習を含む軍事活動の活発化、さらに無人機の太平洋側での頻繁な活動"). The press secretary went on to say that these were only a very small portion of the examples showing China's opaque military buildup and the rapid expansion and intensification of its activities in recent years ("以上申し上げたことは、中国の不透明な軍事力の増強と、近年の急激な活動の拡大、それから活発化を示す事例のごく一部に過ぎません").

The press secretary said these facts, and especially their opacity, are what the region, including Japan, and the international community should watch closely. As Koizumi stated at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Japan's position is to steadily build up and constantly update its defense capabilities while maintaining transparency amid a severe security environment, the press secretary explained.

The press secretary added that the most important point is that Koizumi strongly appeals that dialogue is all the more necessary precisely because there are differences in positions and conflicting views. The press secretary said Japan hopes China will increase transparency, resolve differences through dialogue and act responsibly as a major power. The press secretary also said that rather than repeating claims not based on facts in the absence of the other party, China should convey what it wants to say in direct dialogue. Japan's position is that all differences should be resolved through dialogue at all levels, and Japan hopes China shares this position at least on this point, the press secretary said. The press secretary also noted that in recent ASEAN opinion polls, Japan has consistently been named in recent years as one of the most trusted countries in ASEAN.

Sources (KST)

• Japanese Ministry of Defense · 2026-10-23 08:42-08:47 · 防衛大臣記者会見(令和8年10月23日) · https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/kisha/2026/1023a.html
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-23 · Event Summary/ Chinese Military Activities (10/20 Y-9 patrol aircraft and intelligence-gathering aircraft) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261023_01e.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-23 · Event Summary/ Chinese Military Activities (10/21 Y-9 intelligence-gathering aircraft) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261023_02e.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-20 · Event Summary/Chinese Military Activities (Luyang III-class 121, Fuyu-class 901) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261020_02e.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-10-19 · 中国海軍艦艇の動向について (Luyang III-class 122, Jiangkai II-class 576, Fuchi-class 889) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20261019_02.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-07-07 · 中国海軍艦艇の動向について (Luyang II-class 153, Jiangkai II-class 599) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20260707_01.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-07-29 · 中国及びロシア海軍艦艇の動向について · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20260729_01.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-07-30 · 中国海軍艦艇の動向について (Jiangkai II-class 546, Renhai-class 101) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20260730_01.pdf
• Japan Joint Staff · 2026-08-03 · 中国海軍艦艇の動向について (Renhai-class 103, Luyang III-class 124, Fuchi-class 903) · https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/p20260803_01.pdf
• Japanese Ministry of Defense · 2026-06-02 16:35-16:39 · 報道官会見(令和8年6月2日) · https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/kisha/2026/0602b.html