In this Sankei Shimbun column, editorial deputy chief Satoshi Sakakibara argues that China’s repeated provocations around the Senkaku Islands demonstrate that diplomatic protests alone are insufficient. To preserve peace, Japan must fundamentally strengthen its defense capabilities and increase defense spending.

May 12, 2020
Becoming wealthy does not necessarily make a person noble in character. On the contrary, some people develop a distorted sense of superiority and exploit the misfortunes of others in ways that violate moral principles.
The following is from an essay by Deputy Editorial Board Chairman Satoshi Sakakibara, published in today’s Sankei Shimbun under the title, “If You Condemn China.”
Becoming wealthy does not necessarily make a person noble in character.
On the contrary, some people develop a distorted sense of superiority and exploit the misfortunes of others in ways that violate moral principles.
The same can be said of nations.
Amid the pandemic of the novel coronavirus, I am reminded of this every time I watch China calmly continue its provocations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
On the evening of the 8th, a China Coast Guard vessel that had entered Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture) pursued a Japanese fishing boat about twelve kilometers west-southwest of Uotsuri Island.
A Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel protected the fishing boat and warned the Chinese vessel to leave Japan’s territorial waters.
The China Coast Guard is under the authority of the Central Military Commission, the military’s highest command body.
Yet it behaves as though it owns the area, attempting to numb the awareness of the Japanese people.
If Japan lets down its guard, maritime militia disguised as fishermen could well come ashore.
This is precisely the method China used to seize islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
On the 8th, the Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in Beijing lodged protests with the Chinese side.
Nevertheless, Chinese government vessels continued to intrude into Japan’s territorial waters afterward.
Apparently, they feel no discomfort whatsoever over Japan’s protests.
About a month earlier, Defense Minister Taro Kono, speaking in Tokyo, criticized China by saying that he found it “extremely outrageous” that it continued military provocations despite the pandemic.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also stated in the Diet in January 2018 regarding the defense of the Senkaku Islands, “No one should underestimate the resolve of the Abe administration.”
Both statements were entirely appropriate.
But they are not enough.
That is because efforts to maintain the proper “balance of power” with the other side remain insufficient.
Unless Japan possesses defense capabilities of adequate quality and quantity, no amount of protest will reach a Chinese government that believes in power above all else.
Mr. Kono also stated, “I hope the Japanese people fully recognize that China continues to exert military pressure on the Nansei Islands even during the spread of the virus.”
However, it is the Abe administration that must become more resolute.
Although defense spending has increased every year, it still remains at the low level of only one percent of GDP.
The Self-Defense Forces continue to suffer from chronic budget shortages.
If Japan wishes to deter China’s opportunistic actions during this crisis and preserve peace, a bold increase in defense spending is indispensable.
It is an urgent task that must be addressed even amid the pandemic.