Japanese submarine experts visit Adelaide, sparking fears for shipbuilding future

The South Australian Government wants an explanation from Canberra about the visit of Japanese submarine experts to Adelaide.

 

The group toured shipbuilding company ASC's base in Osborne yesterday, heightening fears the Federal Government may build the next generation of submarines overseas.

 

South Australian Defence Industries Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said he knew nothing of the trip.

 

Mr Hamilton-Smith said he wanted answers about the reason behind the Japanese visit and whether it signalled a backdown from the Coalition's election promise to build the submarines in Adelaide.

 

"I think the Coalition could explain why this visit's been held in such secrecy," Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

 

"Who's in the party, is it senior military officials from Japan or defence department officials, is it at the political level?"

 

The Government has been looking at its policy for replacing its ageing fleet of Collins Class submarines including using Japanese technology, which has created uncertainty over how much work will be carried out in Australia.

 

The Coalition is due to reveal its policy for replacing the submarines next year with speculation Defence Minister David Johnston will reveal a significant downgrade in plans to build the 12 submarines in Adelaide.

 

Mr Hamilton-Smith said he was urgently seeking an explanation from Canberra.

 

"There's been speculation in the press about a submarine being built overseas, there's been quite a lot of criticism of the Australian shipbuilding industry, some of it unfounded," he said.

 

"I think the South Australian and Australian people involved in the defence industry deserve some answers."

Federal Government says it is business as usual

The Federal Government this morning confirmed 16 Japanese defence experts had toured ASC to look at naval and submarine technology.

 

Senator Johnston said the Government was considering a range of options but would not say what Japanese involvement there could be in the new submarine project.

 

He said Australia recently signed a defence science and technology agreement with Japan and the tour of ASC was linked to that.

 

"They're down here looking at defence science and technology and we are discussing ways whereby we may both collaborate in that space to the mutual advantage of both of our countries," he said.

Senator Johnston defended not alerting the South Australian Government to the visit.

 

"We don't routinely advise state governments of every hourly, weekly visit by defence, science personnel from around Australia or from overseas," he said.

 

"Defence is a Federal Government responsibility. As soon as we have a viable, feasible submarine plan we will announce that much, but having 16 Japanese technicians in South Australia is neither here nor there and quite frankly, is just simply business as usual."

 

The Minister said there would be an announcement either later this year or early next year as to the options the Federal Government would pursue to replace the Collins Class submarines.

 

But SA Premier Jay Weatherill accused the Federal Government of snubbing the SA community.

 

He said Federal Liberal MPs from SA should be working harder to ensure submarines were built in Adelaide, just as Liberal members serving with former prime minister John Howard had done for the successful Air Warfare Destroyer project.

 

"The reason we won that contract is because we had powerful voices in the federal Cabinet, like Nick Minchin, Robert Hill, Amanda Vanstone and Alexander Downer, who stood up and advocated for SA," Mr Weatherill said.

Shipbuilders head to Canberra

John Camillo from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said there were real fears for the future of shipbuilding in Adelaide.

 

"Not long ago the Federal Minister Johnston in Adelaide indicated that 12 new submarines will be built at the ASC," Mr Camillo said.

 

"And all of a sudden now the tone has been changed from the Government.

 

"It's a major concern for our members and their families."

 

The AMWU said a delegation of shipbuilders from around Australia will meet in Canberra today to call on the Government to commit to its election promise.

 

National secretary Paul Bastian said thousands of jobs would be lost if Australia imported submarines from Japan.

 

"As well as destroying jobs and industry, the Government is risking our national security with this reckless move," Mr Bastian said.

Japan looking to buy more stealth fighters in 2015: Nikkei

Japan plans to seek funding to buy six F-35 stealth fighter jets in next year's budget to strengthen defense of remote southwestern islands against China, which has grown increasingly assertive at sea and in the air, the Nikkei reported.

 

The Ministry of Defense intends to ask that 124.9 billion yen ($1.21 billion) be set aside, the Nikkei said.

 

Air Self-Defense Force hopes to buy 42 of the aircraft in all to replace its fleet of aging F-4 fighters, the Nikkei said.

 

Japan has bought ten F-35s stealth fighters since 2012, but this will mark its first time buying six in a single year. The ministry will also seek 54 billion yen to buy three surveillance drones capable of extended flight, the Japanese daily said.

 

The ministry is also expected to request 58.8 billion yen for new airborne early-warning aircraft, the Nikkei added.

 

By the end of 2014, the ministry will choose between Northrop Grumman Corp's (NOC.N) E-2D and a Boeing Co (BA.N) plane, the daily said.

 

Defense-related budget requests for fiscal 2015 are also expected to include 13.7 billion yen for improving the capability of E-767 airborne warning and control system aircraft, 10 billion yen for repairing eight F-15 fighters, and 8.2 billion yen for buying surface-to-air missiles, the Nikkei added.

Chinese patrols in Asian seas 'legitimate': General

Chinese warships will continue to patrol waters where Beijing has territorial claims, a top general said Sunday, amid simmering rows with neighbouring countries over the South China Sea and islands controlled by Japan.

Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, defended the patrols as legitimate and said his country's sovereignty over the areas could not be disputed.

"Why are Chinese warships patrolling in East China Sea and South China Sea? I think we are all clear about this," Qi told the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore.

"Our attitude on East China Sea and South China Sea is that they are in our Chinese sovereignty. We are very clear about that," he said through an interpreter.

"So the Chinese warships and the patrolling activities are totally legitimate and uncontroversial."

Qi was responding to a question from a delegate after giving a speech in which he sought to assure neighbouring countries that China has no hegemonic ambitions.

"China has never taken foreign expansion and military conquering as a state policy," he said.

One delegate however said there appeared to be growing regional scepticism over China's peaceful intentions because it was inconsistent with moves to send naval patrols to waters where other countries also have claims.

China is locked in a territorial dispute with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.

The four states have partial claims to islands but China says it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the sea, including areas much closer to other countries and thousands of kilometres from the Chinese coast.

China also has a dispute with Japan over the Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea.

"I do hope the statements of the good general today will be translated into action," Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters.

He said Qi's remarks about China having no hegemonic ambitions were "far from what is happening" in the sea.

Manila last month protested at what it called the "provocative and illegal presence" of a Chinese warship near Second Thomas Shoal, which is occupied by Philippine troops.

Among the other moves that have caused alarm were China's occupation of a shoal near the Philippines' main island last year, and the deployment in March of Chinese naval ships to within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of Malaysia's coast.

Competing claims have for decades made the area -- home to rich fishing grounds and vital global shipping lanes and believed to sit atop vast natural gas deposits -- one of Asia's potential military flashpoints.

China and Vietnam fought in 1974 and 1988 for control of islands in battles that left dozens of soldiers dead.

The US-China strategic rivalry also loomed large during the conference, with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Saturday accusing Beijing of waging cyber espionage against the United States.

But General Qi on Sunday allayed concerns that China had dropped a pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

Omission of the "no-first-use" pledge in a recent defence white paper had created ripples in military circles and sparked speculation that China may have abandoned the policy.

Qi also distanced his government from claims by some Chinese scholars that the Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa, do not belong to Japan.

"This is only an article of particular scholars and their views on these issues... it does not represent the views of the Chinese government," he said.

Maritime disputes and the risks of conflicts that could hurt Asia's economic growth were a running theme during the three-day conference that ended Sunday.

"Asia holds great promise for ourselves and the world but continued peace and prosperity in this region are neither fait accompli nor automatic," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told the conference.

"Instead, if we are to continue to enjoy stability and progress, we must work effectively in unison to strengthen areas of common interests."

The Philippines' Gazmin defended Manila's move unilaterally to bring its territorial dispute with China before a UN tribunal after China refused to take part.

"We hope that the arbitration tribunal will issue a clarification in accordance with international law that will direct China to respect our sovereign rights," Gazmin told the forum.

New Chinese Clone Survives Heavy Legal Flak

A year ago a Japanese warship passed by a Chinese frigate that appeared to be flying a helicopter UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) off its helicopter pad. The Japanese took photos and passed them around. At first it was noted that the helicopter looked like the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter. Schiebel is an Austrian firm which markets the S-100 in many countries via the U.S. firm Boeing Aircraft. But Schiebel continues to sell the S-100 itself, and a little digging revealed that the Chinese had bought 18 S-100s in 2010. While the three S-100s seen on the aft deck of the Chinese frigate do look like the S-100, there also appear to be some differences. It appears that a Chinese firm copied the design of S-100 and created a workable S-100 clone.

 

European nations are not supposed to sell China weapons (because of an arms embargo), but the S-100s were apparently sold to Chinese police organizations (which is legal and the S-100 does have civilian users). One Chinese firm has since offered a helicopter UAV similar to the S-100. China has become more blatant in copying foreign designs, and then selling them to foreign customers and competing with the original. Suing the Chinese usually does not work, as Chinese courts favor the Chinese copycats, not the original creator of the technology.

 

The S-100 weighs 200 kg (440 pounds), can stay aloft six hours per sortie, and operates at a max altitude of 5,500 meters (18,000 feet). Max speed is 220 kilometers an hour. So far, some 200 S-100s have been sold to military and civilian customers.

 

Before the S-100 clone came along Chinese firms had already developed several helicopter UAV designs. For example, the Chinese V750 weighs 757 kg (1,665 pounds) and has a payload of 80 kg (176 pounds). Max speed is 161 kilometers an hour and endurance is four hours. The V750 can fly a pre-programmed route or be controlled by a ground operator (up to 150 kilometers away). The manufacturer is offering the V750 for civilian (scientific survey, search and rescue, police surveillance) and military uses. There are over a dozen other Chinese helicopter UAVs on the market, many of them very similar in appearance and performance to foreign designs.

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. has taken the lead in this area, with several models developed in the last decade. The one most similar to V750 is the MQ-8B Fire Scout which is operating in Afghanistan and aboard warships. The U.S. Navy developed, and put into use, the MQ-8B. A similar model, the RQ-8B, died because the U.S. Army already had plenty of UAVs that got the job done. The navy kept Fire Scout because helicopters are more practical on most navy ships (for landings and takeoffs). Navy Fire Scouts have been successfully used on frigates (in both the Atlantic and Pacific). There is a huge demand for UAVs in Afghanistan, so the navy sent some there.

 

The 1.5 ton Fire Scout is based upon the Schweitzer 333 unmanned helicopter, which in turn is derived from the Schweitzer 330 commercial lightweight manned helicopter. Fire Scout has a payload of 272 kg (600 pounds), a cruising speed of 200 kilometers an hour, max altitude of 6,100 meters (20,000 feet), and endurance of eight hours. The U.S. Navy plans to acquire over 160 Fire Scouts.

 

Several other navies have been testing helicopter UAVs on their warships, and this type of UAV seems destined to replace a lot of manned helicopters on warships and enable smaller warships (that cannot handle the larger manned helicopters) to operate unmanned helicopters.

Japan mulls export to India of SDF search-and-rescue aircraft

Japan and India have agreed to establish a joint working group to explore prospects of exporting to India a costly search-and-rescue aircraft developed by the Defense Ministry.

The agreement was reached in May 29 talks between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Indian Navy officials began expressing interest in the US-2 short takeoff and landing, search-and-rescue amphibian aircraft a few years ago.

If future discussions proceed as Japanese officials hope, it would be the first instance of an export of defense equipment used by the Self-Defense Forces that had been converted for civilian use.

The US-2 is produced by ShinMaywa Industries Ltd., which is based in Hyogo Prefecture. The aircraft has a range of about 4,500 kilometers and its amphibious landing capabilities make it suited for search-and-rescue operations.

Government officials are seeking to export the aircraft to reduce the procurement costs for each aircraft. Mass production could dramatically lower production costs for each aircraft.

Indian government officials have begun discussions on whether to purchase the aircraft.

However, because the US-2 carries sensitive communications equipment and other equipment, there were concerns that exporting the aircraft would violate Japan's three principles banning the export of weapons.

Government officials have concluded that if the equipment in question were removed beforehand, the aircraft itself would not constitute a weapon and the three principles would not be violated.

A major problem with the US-2 is its high cost. The aircraft costs about 11 billion yen ($108 million), much higher than similar competing aircraft.

According to government sources, India has not yet decided whether to purchase the US-2.

Foreign sub spotted near Japan's territorial waters

A foreign submarine was detected on May 12 plying the depths in a contiguous zone outside Japan's territorial waters south of Kumejima island in Okinawa Prefecture, the Defense Ministry said May 13.

Although officials did not elaborate on the sub's country of origin, a government source said the vessel likely belonged to the Chinese Navy.

"I was prepared to order 'maritime security operations' immediately upon getting approval from the prime minister (Shinzo Abe), if the submarine entered (Japan's) territorial waters," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters May 13.

Under the Self-Defense Forces Law, the defense minister has the authority to order, subject to the prime minister's approval, SDF units to conduct "necessary operations" to protect lives and property at risk and to maintain security at sea.

Such circumstances, called "maritime security operations," allow the SDF to use weapons in lawful self-defense and emergency evacuation.

The last time maritime security operations were ordered against a submarine was in November 2004, when a submerged Chinese sub entered Japan's territorial waters around the Sakishima island chain in Okinawa Prefecture. Although the latest case did not involve a submarine incursion into territorial seas, Onodera is believed to have mentioned the measures to warn any countries involved.

International law does not prohibit submarines from entering a contiguous zone. But the ministry officials said they decided to make the latest incident public because they concluded it was an unusual case, which involved passage through the contiguous zone over a prolonged period.

Japanese Air Force Intercepts 2 Russian Aircraft

Japanese fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian military aircraft identified as Tupolev Tu-142s, a reconnaissance and anti-sub version of the Tu-95 strategic bomber. 

The two Tu-142s were first detected in the Sea of Japan near the Northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, RT reported.

They then moved Southwards until they reached Tsushima Island of Nagasaki province, where they turned around.

The Russian aircraft did not violated Japanese airspace, Tokyo stressed.

The incident happened the same day Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went to Moscow for the first time in 10 years.

China military planes flew close to disputed isles

Chinese military planes, mostly fighter jets, made more than 40 flights close to Tokyo-controlled islands at the centre of a territorial dispute on a single day this week, a press report said on Saturday.

The flights took place on Tuesday, when eight Chinese marine surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off the islands in the East China Sea, which Japan calls the Senkakus and China calls the Diaoyus, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported.

The conservative daily, citing senior government officials, said F-15 fighter planes from an airbase on the Japanese island of Okinawa scrambled to intercept the Chinese aircraft which flew in waves towards the skies over the islands.

"It was an unprecedented threat," one of the officials was quoted as saying.

Another said: "If such a show of force continues, it is feared it could lead to a situation where the (Japanese) air defence force may not be able to cope."

The report said the military planes included updated Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 fighter aircraft.

The report, which did not say whether the planes intruded into Japan's airspace, could not be immediately confirmed by Japan's Defence Ministry.

Chinese government ships have frequently sailed around the five Tokyo-controlled islands in recent months sparking diplomatic clashes.

But Tuesday's flotilla was the biggest to sail into the disputed waters in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September.

On December 13, a Y-12 turbo-prop plane from China's State Oceanic Administration breached airspace over the disputed islands, prompting the launch of Japanese F-15s.

It was the first known incursion ever by a Chinese plane into Japanese airspace, the government said at the time.

Australia to deploy warship to join U.S. fleet in Japan

Australia will deploy a guided- missile frigate, HMAS Sydney, to join the U.S. 7th Fleet in Japan at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the South China Sea, according to The Australian on Friday.

The Australian said the warship will be "embedded" with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group operating out of Yokosuka, but the Department of Defense didn't confirm the news so far.

HMAS Sydney is an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate launched in 1980. It was sent to the Persian Gulf five times in support of U.S. operations during the Gulf War, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to the report, this mission has been long-planned to increase Australian Navy's experience at providing air defense for a fleet, in preparation for the arrival of the Navy's two massive landing ships and three air warfare destroyers.

"Australia has made it clear we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Republic of Korea, also with Japan," the report quoted Defense Minister Stephen Smith as saying.

And Peter Jennings, a former senior Defense official who now heads the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, said the deployment was significant. "It does reflect a return to the type of co-operation that used to happen in the 1980s and 90s when we exercised more frequently with the Americans."

China Calls Planned U.S.-Japan Drills 'Provocative'

China says Japan's decision to participate in joint military exercises with the United States will not dampen its resolve to defend its claim to a disputed island chain that has been a recurring source of tension between the Asian neighbors.

In reference to the joint drills, planned for June, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said "foreign pressure" cannot sway China from protecting its territorial sovereignty in the East China Sea.

"For any related provocative actions, the Chinese government will maintain a resolute response," Hua was quoted by Reuters as saying during a regular media briefing.

On Tuesday, patrol craft from the two countries squared off in a game of oceangoing chicken near the disputed islands, known by Japan as Senkaku and to China as Diaoyu.

The Wall Street Journal from Tokyo that on Tuesday:

"China sent eight maritime-patrol ships to the waters surrounding small East China Sea islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing, saying it was responding to the 'illegal entry' of boats piloted by Japanese activists into its waters. The Chinese flotilla was the largest Beijing had sent to the area since September, when the current dispute flared up following Japan's decision to nationalize the islands."

Foreign Policy magazine writes that "the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands dispute has been marked by an increasing number of deliberate provocations on both sides: surveillance vessels enteringnearby waters, patrol planes making passes by the islands, scrambled fighter jets. These are planned actions, designed to incrementally heighten tensions. But the more fighter jets that get scrambled without good communications systems in place, the higher the chances that these deliberate moves escalate beyond what either Japan or China is anticipating."

As we've reported in the past, this particular dispute is just one of several in Asian waters that has placed China at odds with its maritime neighbors for decades and has even resulted in brief clashes on occasion.

Reuters quotes U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey as telling reporters in Beijing on Wednesday on the last day of his trip to China that he had reminded Chinese officials of U.S. obligations to Japan.

"Our position is that we don't take a position on territorial issues. In the case of Japan in particular, however, I was careful to remind them that we do have certain treaty obligations with Japan that we would honor," he said.

Remains of man in armour found at 'Pompeii of Japan'

 The remains of a high-caste man wearing armour who was buried by hot ash -- possibly as he tried to calm the wrath of an erupting volcano -- have been found in an area known as the "Pompeii of Japan".

Archaeologists say they have unearthed the well-preserved body of a sixth-century man who had apparently turned to face a flow of molten rock as it gushed through his settlement.

"Under normal circumstances, you would flee if pyroclastic flows are rushing toward you and bringing waves of heat. But this person died facing it," said Shinichiro Ohki, of Gunma Archaeological Research Foundation.

"Maybe, if he were someone of a high position, he might have been praying, or doing something in the direction of the volcano and attempting to appease its anger," Ohki told AFP on Monday.

The remains, along with a part of an infant's skull, were found in the Kanai Higashiura dig in Gunma prefecture, roughly 110 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Tokyo, at the site of the volcanic Mount Haruna.

The find comes from an area known to enthusiasts as the "Pompeii of Japan" a reference to the Roman city near modern-day Naples buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.

The body is clad in a relatively sophisticated kind of armour made by craftsmen who bound small iron plates with thin leather strips, which would have represented the latest technological import from the Korean Peninsula.

It may have been brought to Japan after the practice of horse riding was introduced in the late fifth century, Ohki said, adding that the armour was much more sophisticated than the single-plate type common in the period.

"It indicates the person wearing it was someone of a high position, like a regional leader," Ohki told AFP, adding studies would be carried out to see if the man was related to occupants of ancient tombs dotting the region.

Archaeologists will also examine the bones to determine whether the man and the child were related.

"If possible, we would like to study their DNA. Were they related? Why and how did they die there?" Ohki said.

Waves of anger: Japan tsunami victim aid spent on whalers, officials and fighter pilots

A quarter of Japan’s tsunami relief fund has been spent on unrelated projects, including renovating a government office and subsiding whaling. The revelations have ignited outcry as more than 320,000 tsunami victims remain displaced.

The expenditure was identified after the publication of an independent government-backed audit into the allocation of the $150 billion relief fund, created after the earthquake and tsunami of March last year.

The fund intended not only to restore damaged cities, but to “reinvigorate Japan”, stimulating local economies into recover. Nevertheless, the relevance of some of the funded projects have been raising eyebrows.

Among the expenses listed are $30 million dollars to protect Japan’s yearly whale hunt from environmental activists, $380,000 to promote Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s tallest free-standing broadcast tower, free training for fighter pilots and a subsidy for a contact-lens factory located nowhere near the site of the disaster-hit coast.

"Taxpayers accepted tax hikes because they thought the money would go to disaster victims and the disaster victims were grateful," said Kuniko Tanioka, who is a member of a group that studied the expenses in the Upper House of the Diet, Japan’s parliament.

"But the funds have been used for projects they never imagined. It is a direct blow to the willpower of those who are trying to rebuild their lives.”

At first the report was largely ignored by the Japanese media, as clientelism – the allocation of budget money to those with close ties, often in exchange for political support, is not unusual in the country’s politics.

But anger rose, sparked by those most in need of help who feel like they’ve  been ignored.

“Exploiting the construction effort is treacherous to the first degree,” proclaimed a Tokyo Shimbun editorial.

Cities on the coastline remain disaster sites, with administrators and former inhabitants unsure they will ever be rebuilt. More than 200,000 are still living in temporary housing.

Victims were allocated around $40,000 per household to rebuild their homes. The money is not nearly sufficient to rebuild the houses, particularly as many victims also lost their jobs.

240 ports – often economic hubs for smaller Japanese towns – remain closed.

Across the disaster zone itself 60 percent of applications from businesses seeking help to re-open have been rejected by authorities due to insufficient funds and red tape. Businesses have to re-open first before they are given financial aid, and have to be judged as “essential” by a local administrative panel.

Stunningly, not only has the money been misallocated, but half of the relief fund has not been given to anyone at all, due to a nominal lack of suitable applicants and red tape. The recovery is being blighted by the slowness of Tokyo’s bureaucrats to make centralized decisions to relieve troubled regions.  Whilst affected areas are worsening the situation, through apparent inexperience in managing such large-scale construction projects.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, whose DPJ party came to power in 2009 on promises of confronting long-standing corruption, was forced to defend the government in the Diet.

"We must listen sincerely to the voices calling for the utmost priority to be accorded to disaster area reconstruction,” said Noda, who was finance minister at the time of the disaster. He also promised to “narrow down” apparent unrelated spending, though he did not specify to what extent or on what criteria.

“The government has lost all public trust,” said Masako Mori, from the opposition Liberal Party.

"That's a fundamental characteristic of bureaucrats. It is the Diet that should check how money is used, but the Diet hasn't put any effort into it," Takayoshi Igarashi, a professor at Hosei University, told Japan Times.

Yoshimitsu Shiozaki, an academic specializing in urban planning at Kobe University, who has conducted his own survey of the spending, believes that little will be done to reverse the spending priorities.

"Legally speaking, there are no problems with these projects," Shiozaki told the Japan Times, noting that before signing off on huge subsidies, bureaucrats only had to prove that a company was in some way connected to the disaster area, even if it is through a single supplier.

He also pointed out that previous relief efforts in the country, such as the Kobe earthquake recovery in 1995, have also been marred by similar scandals.

"But this time the funds are being used in a more deceptive way," said Shiozaki.

In total Japan plans to spend $295 billion on disaster recovery over the next decade.

Tokyo: Seven Chinese Navy Ships Near Japanese Island

Japan says it has spotted seven Chinese naval ships near one of its islands, as tensions between the two Asian powers remain high over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

Japan's Defense Ministry says the Chinese ships were spotted early Tuesday by Japanese aircraft about 50 kilometers outside Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost island.

The ministry said the ships were in the contiguous zone, an area just outside Japan's territorial waters in which Japan has certain rights under international law.

China has increasingly sent ships to patrol Japanese-controlled areas since September, when Japan nationalized a group of islands claimed by Beijing. So far there have been no clashes.

The uninhabited islands at the center of the dispute are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. They are surrounded by valuable fishing grounds and potential energy deposits.

Japan says it purchased some the islands from their private Japanese landowners to ensure their stability. But Beijing has responded furiously, saying they are part of their “sacred territory” since ancient times.

Japan flexes its maritime muscle at Beijing

Japan's navy marked its 60th anniversary with a major exercise Sunday, Oct. 14, intended to show off its maritime strength. The display comes amid a tense territorial dispute with China.

About 40 ships -- including state-of-the-art destroyers, hovercraft able to launch assaults on rough coastlines and new conventionally powered submarines -- took part in Fleet Review 2012, the maritime equivalent of a military parade. About 30 naval aircraft, mostly helicopters, also participated.

Japan's navy was joined by warships from the United States, Singapore and Australia. Representatives from more than 20 countries, including China, also attended the event staged in waters south of Tokyo.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who watched aboard the destroyer JS Kurama, said Japan faces "severe" challenges to its security, though he did not specifically mention the dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.

Japan's navy -- formally called the Maritime Self-Defense Force -- is among the best-equipped and best-trained in the world. As part of a post-World War II mutual defense pact, Japan also hosts the U.S. 7th Fleet, which includes the USS George Washington aircraft carrier battle group.

The Thursday Documentary

Building tension? Japan construction plans for disputed islands sure to upset China

Tokyo’s governor, who sparked Chinese fury by his proposal to buy disputed islands, has announced plans to build on the archipelago. The nationalist seeks to cement Japan’s claim, but will likely exacerbate strained relations with its neighbor.

Officials close to Governor Shintaro Ishihara told Reuters that he would attempt to win support for the construction project from the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which is pitted to win the coming elections.

"With an Ishiba or Abe government we could use the funds we have raised to build some kind of shelter for ships or a transmitter or lighthouse," Deputy Naoki Inose told Reuters. Ishihara reportedly hopes to raise about US$19,000 in order to install infrastructure on the islands.

Ishihara’s deputies said that basic infrastructure on the Senkaku Islands, known to the Chinese as the Diaoyu, would ensure the safety of Japanese fishermen in the area.

Japan has administered the islands for last few decades and maintains that its neighbors’ interest in them is comparatively recent.

Japan provoked Chinese ire when it sought to purchase the disputed islands at the beginning of September. Ishihara originally put forward the idea to buy the archipelago in April as a solution to the territorial conflict.

China’s government was incensed by the move, branding it as an affront to Chinese sovereignty and an act of provocation on the part of the Japanese.

Although the islands are uninhabited, they are believed to house significant gas resources and the sea around them is a rich fishing ground. The further complicate the territorial dispute, Taiwan also lays claim to the archipelago.

The escalation of tensions between the two Asian nations triggered mass anti-Japan protests across China, in which activists attacked Japanese cars and vandalized shops, forcing businesses to cease operations. A wave of demonstrations also swept through Japan, decrying the Chinese claim over the islands.

An appeal for “cool heads” by the US saw tensions between the two countries abate. However, Ishihara’s construction plans may see the conflict reignited.

Associate Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo said to Reuters that the new plans have the potential to "re-create the situation we have just gone through – strong reaction from China followed by demonstrations and attacks on Japanese companies."

The Chinese government maintains the assertion that the islands have belonged to them since ancient times and were stolen by the Japanese in 1895 following a war with China.

Japan, on the other hand, dismisses these claims and states that the Chinese only began to contest the sovereignty of the archipelago a few decades ago and had previously not challenged Japanese control.