Japan suspects China flew 3 spy balloons over territory in 2019-2021

Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a press conference earlier Tuesday that the Self-Defense Forces will be allowed to use weapons, including air-to-air missiles, to deal with airspace incursions.

Did Japan really use necessary arsenal to intercept or just let it go just like the objects that being sent from Korea Peninsula and flying across Japan from time to time.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/N-Korea-at-crossroads/North-Korea-s-missiles-landed-in-Japan-s-EEZ-Defense-minister

So far, four flying objects have been shot down by the U.S. military over North American airspace this month.

Not so fast. I read yesterday that a pilot had to shoot two 400,000 USD missiles at a slow moving balloon. The first one missed!!!! Lol

It seems shooting balloons down is not that easy for the USAF. Oh dear!!

How convenient this all is, more weapons will be need and hardware of course, the usual suspects will be rubbing their hands think of the profits.

A Japanese TV program showed a couple of the incidents, which were captured very vividly on video. There was nothing subtle about them: Massive balloons with huge sophisticated payloads.

Why didn't the Japanese government, military or even the general public do anything or say anything about them at the time, one wonders.

Now that everybody's looking, they're going to find a lot of stuff up there.

Not so fast. I read yesterday that a pilot had to shoot two 400,000 USD missiles at a slow moving balloon. The first one missed!!!! Lol

It can be done by using gatling gun is much cheaper for same objective

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2021/12/28/usaf-ordered-20mm-gatling-style-cannon-guns-for-f-16-fighters/

But by using cheaper gatling gun wouldn't give good profit for relevant industry, more expensive arsenal being used it will be good for industry not for tax payers.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-21/us-arms-industry-military-spending-profits-ukraine-war-russia/101843752

“Why didn't the Japanese government, military or even the general public do anything or say anything about them at the time, one wonders.”

Because pro-China media and politicians didn’t want to criticize China and played down the obvious violations of Japanese airspace.

 Massive balloons with huge sophisticated payloads.

And what evidence is there that there was a "payload" attached to the balloons and not just surveillance equipment? "Payload" implies a weapon, and no one has accused China of this, with the exception of you it seems. It also escalates the rhetoric by even inferring such a thing, hence no one, well no one that matters anyway, making that assumption.

What did they do about the spy balloons? Why did they deliberately choose not to inform the public? Now that America is taking the lead and shooting them out of the sky, do they finally feel empowered enough to do something about it?

Quite frankly, this is embarrassing, and Japan must do better than this. When you have to take cues from Joe Biden on every single occasion, your country clearly has a leadership problem.

How high were they?

It can be done by using gatling gun is much cheaper for same objective

Back in 2015 Raytheon lost a billion-dollar blimp that drifted over Maryland, frightened the Amish horses in Pennsylvania and was eventually shot down by coppers with shotguns.

https://theintercept.com/2015/10/28/military-blimps-rampage-deflates-raytheons-hopes-to-sell-more/

https://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/10/29/army-blimp-breaks-loose-drifts-for-hours-over-pennsylvania?src=usn_tw

You don't need spy satellites anymore. All you need is Google maps, aerial photos, and street view.

All future Chinese and Russian "weather balloons" and Satellites flying over Japanese airspace should be shot down.

Like I said on a previous article:

Any time tech is involved then Japan is always the weak link. They are 8/10 the security risk! Their cybersecurity is in the 80s like China's satellite technology (They need to use balloons)! China can easily steal information through the Japanese connection.

Another example of Japan's security incompetence!

Phileas Fogg is going to have to be careful!

Not to worry, friends. The Pentagon is ramping up efforts to close the "balloon gap" with China. From what I have read these balloons can be used in all kinds of ways including meteorology, climate studies, communication networks, aerodynamics, ballistics, etc. etc.

The US has realized it is behind, hence the frantic reaction. Money will be allocated to duplicate and try to surpass what the Chinese have achieved.

Need more weapons to protect against these balloons

@yubaru

Payload" implies a weapon, 

Webster's dictionary:

Payload: 1. "the load carried by a vehicle exclusive of what is necessary for its operation"

Sigh.

"And what evidence is there that there was a "payload" attached to the balloons

Um, everyone on the group looking upward in astonishment could see it? LOL.

Were they spy balloons or weather balloons? Too late to know. Only one shot down in the US was a spy balloon. Others probably weather balloons.

Payload" implies a weapon, and no one has accused China of this, with the exception of you it seems. It also escalates the rhetoric by even inferring such a thing, hence no one, well no one that matters anyway, making that assumption.

I think a pro-china asset would never post that.

Also F16s have cannons already. Firing them over land, even if unpopulated isnt safe. Some air to air projectiles are radioactive due to the hardened material they are made with.

Look at US drone airstrikes in foreign territory killing innocent families instead of this distraction.

Far more concerning than a passive balloon.

Not so fast. I read yesterday that a pilot had to shoot two 400,000 USD missiles at a slow moving balloon. The first one missed!!!! Lol

It seems shooting balloons down is not that easy for the USAF. Oh dear!!

Yes ,,, because we have a monkey in the white house....... a white monkey ... he does not what is day ad night...

We need a strong leader as US president in the white house and democrats do not have anyone....

Other wise China will eat the world..

Easy fix Japan, get permission from your puppet master's and shoot the weather balloons down, using weapons from the USA stockpile of course. Not a good way to stay friends with your closest neighbour though.

Not a good way to stay friends with your closest neighbour though.

Japan is hardly friends with her closest neighbour, fascist Russia. Who cares what they think.

Nothing good comes out of China. Even balloons.

i have seen some balloon today too...LOL

Japan following the lead of its oversea,

Of course Japan joins in on this clown show. Japan will do anything to bolster their standing and act like a total buffoon on the world stage.

Japan is hardly friends with her closest neighbour, fascist Russia. Who cares what they think.

It's worth pointing out, they still have a notable stake in Sakhalin 2.

I really fail to see what all the fuss is about. What can these “oooh!” spy ballon’s see that anybody can’t see on Google Earth? You can count the planes at the Yokohama US base. You can see close-ups of the missile batteries. To me, it’s just a bunch of paranoid delusions. “Ooooh! Spy balloons!”

Har. And just now we hear about it? Har. Little puppy wanting to be like big dog buddy. Stay under the porch Kishida. The big dogs rule the street.

I'm just wondering, apart from like...... getting atmospheric weather information, what can these balloons do that satellites can't?

The ministry did not elaborate on why it presumed that the flying objects were from China.

If Japan makes accusations, then they should have something to back it up! Why do they presume these are from China, and not from North Korea, Russia or any other country?

And what evidence is there that there was a "payload" attached to the balloons and not just surveillance equipment?

Clueless semantic grasping aside, it is clear there is an intelligence gathering aspect to these assets and not just weather research. Whether there are more sinister elements seems yet to be determined.

Some of the more recent engagements seem to not configure to a research balloon.

Japan has no secrets at all now!

Balloons!?

The rule of engagement should be First shot them down, then talk.

How many balloons flew over Japan without witnesses ?

Xi Jinping will tells you if you are friendly enough to China.

Using Google Maps,you use the Google man,to leave GPS breadcrumb coordinates,unless it covered in a dome,it not a secret

"Payload" implies a weapon, and no one has accused China of this, with the exception of you it seems. It also escalates the rhetoric by even inferring such a thing, hence no one, well no one that matters anyway, making that assumption.

The PRC has tested dropping weapons from balloons a few times the last few decades. I've seen video with multiple warheads being lifted by a balloon.

As for shooting down balloons, weapon systems in fighter aircraft are designed to target other types of aircraft than balloons using heat seeking and craft with larger radar signals. It isn't any surprise that flying objects that don't behave like typical aircraft aren't the main target by design. In engineering, things that seem simple, often aren't.

Mapping is very important, no doubt, but there is so much more that can be known using different frequencies than just what a human eye can see.

@Yrral The Google master has spoken. Do you really believe that crap! Google maps and GPS has also lead people to drive directly into lakes!!!

Using Google Maps,you use the Google man,to leave GPS breadcrumb coordinates,unless it covered in a dome,it not a secret