Tokyo: Destroyers, fighter jets and 34,000 troops will take part in a huge exercise aimed at bolstering Japan's ability to protect its remote islands, the government said on Thursday, amid a territorial dispute with China.
The war games, which will include live-firing, come as Tokyo steps up its global PR campaign by posting online videos it hopes will swing world opinion behind its claims to two archipelagos that are disputed with China and South Korea.
The air-sea-land drill from November 1-18 will involve amphibious landings on the uninhabited atoll of Okidaitojima, 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of the main Okinawan island, a defence ministry official said.
The island is a considerable distance from the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims as the Diaoyus.
Chinese state-owned ships have sparred with Japanese coastguard boats repeatedly in waters around the Senkakus since Tokyo nationalised three islands in the chain last year.
Fighter jets and warships from both sides have also been in the area on numerous occasions, leading some observers to warn of the danger of an armed conflict that could draw in the United States and have disastrous consequences for the region.
It will feature "a series of actions in defending islands" including joint operations in island landings, it said.
In November last year US and Japanese forces held a joint drill involving 47,400 troops, the vast bulk from the Japanese side. But they reportedly cancelled an exercise to re-take a remote island in a bid to avoid irritating China.
In its latest volley, the foreign ministry has produced two 90-second videos stating its case for ownership of the two disputed island groups and posted them on its YouTube site.
Smartphone and tablet users
Both videos are currently only in Japanese, but the ministry plans to provide versions in 10 other tongues including Chinese and Korean.
"We are also preparing three other short movies on the Senkaku islands and one on the issue of Takeshima," a ministry spokesman told AFP, referring to a pair of islets that South Korea controls as Dokdo.
"The new ones will be just 30 seconds in length and we hope they will be watched by smartphone and tablet users."
The ministry has earmarked 120 million yen ($1.2 million) this fiscal year for the films and creating a YouTube channel, he said.
"It is important that the international community obtain correct understanding over situations surrounding Japan including territories," he said.
Beijing and Seoul reacted angrily to the move, with Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeating the assertion that the East China Sea islands belong to Beijing.
"Whatever propaganda tools Japan employs to support its illegal claim, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China," she said.
"We strongly urge the Japanese side to correct its attitude, stop all provocative words and actions and make concrete efforts for the proper management and resolution of the question of the Diaoyu Islands."
South Korea lodged a formal protest over the video, calling in a senior Japanese embassy official to register disapproval on Wednesday.
Foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young said the protest noted the Japanese government's attempt "to undermine our sovereignty over Dokdo by spreading groundless claims over the internet".
Japan's latest move, officials say, is in part a reaction to advertising efforts by China.
Two-page colour ads saying "Diaoyu islands belong to China" appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post last year.
The war games, which will include live-firing, come as Tokyo steps up its global PR campaign by posting online videos it hopes will swing world opinion behind its claims to two archipelagos that are disputed with China and South Korea.
The air-sea-land drill from November 1-18 will involve amphibious landings on the uninhabited atoll of Okidaitojima, 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of the main Okinawan island, a defence ministry official said.
The island is a considerable distance from the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims as the Diaoyus.
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Chinese state-owned ships have sparred with Japanese coastguard boats repeatedly in waters around the Senkakus since Tokyo nationalised three islands in the chain last year.
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Fighter jets and warships from both sides have also been in the area on numerous occasions, leading some observers to warn of the danger of an armed conflict that could draw in the United States and have disastrous consequences for the region.
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It will feature "a series of actions in defending islands" including joint operations in island landings, it said.
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In November last year US and Japanese forces held a joint drill involving 47,400 troops, the vast bulk from the Japanese side. But they reportedly cancelled an exercise to re-take a remote island in a bid to avoid irritating China.
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In its latest volley, the foreign ministry has produced two 90-second videos stating its case for ownership of the two disputed island groups and posted them on its YouTube site.
Smartphone and tablet users
Both videos are currently only in Japanese, but the ministry plans to provide versions in 10 other tongues including Chinese and Korean.
"We are also preparing three other short movies on the Senkaku islands and one on the issue of Takeshima," a ministry spokesman told AFP, referring to a pair of islets that South Korea controls as Dokdo.
"The new ones will be just 30 seconds in length and we hope they will be watched by smartphone and tablet users."
The ministry has earmarked 120 million yen ($1.2 million) this fiscal year for the films and creating a YouTube channel, he said.
"It is important that the international community obtain correct understanding over situations surrounding Japan including territories," he said.
Beijing and Seoul reacted angrily to the move, with Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeating the assertion that the East China Sea islands belong to Beijing.
"Whatever propaganda tools Japan employs to support its illegal claim, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China," she said.
"We strongly urge the Japanese side to correct its attitude, stop all provocative words and actions and make concrete efforts for the proper management and resolution of the question of the Diaoyu Islands."
South Korea lodged a formal protest over the video, calling in a senior Japanese embassy official to register disapproval on Wednesday.
Foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young said the protest noted the Japanese government's attempt "to undermine our sovereignty over Dokdo by spreading groundless claims over the internet".
Japan's latest move, officials say, is in part a reaction to advertising efforts by China.
Two-page colour ads saying "Diaoyu islands belong to China" appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post last year.
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