Japan conducts first submarine drill in disputed South China Sea

The world does not and should not, recognise ANY of China's claims to such areas. If anything, a show of global force and repatriation should be engaged in.

The world dies not and should not, recognise ANY of China's claims to such areas

The entire world? Pretty good claim there.

Yes the entire world. The PCA has ruled that China's claims to South China Sea are not legal.

Really good news. Japan is standing up to bully and conducting "freedom of navigation" exercise. PM Abe will order the Maritime Self Defense "Never back down!". PM Abe and MSDF is up for the fight. Other Nations should carry their weight like Japan and show their presence.

Is basically a waste of fuel. China is set on having that whole area. I think is kinda ridiculous to claim that whole area when so many ships need to pass through and is surrounded by so many other nations. Give it a few more years. Once China have increase their defenses and build a few more man-made island for their navy bases,then they probably gonna probably claim that other seas also belong to them. I got to give it to them. They really work fast and very determined

GanbareJapan; Peace not war. If war breaks out, will you be on the front line?

Expect China to retaliate with a nice thick fly and sail by with fleets of their own.

While China should not seize or claim these, they are doing what Japan did two generations ago, and what most new powers do to the geography around them.

Belrick, china doesn't need "world recognition", just customary international law is sufficient. Do what others do, as simple as that.

Ganbare Japan!, really bad news. Japan returned Paracel and many other island i South China Sea back to china as well as Taiwan. How come Japan stated that there is a dispute there ? Unless Japan lied.

Good on Japan for sailing in international waters. China can scream and yell all it likes, but this is not their territory.

Anyway, the CCP is not a legitimate government in my eyes - it allows no free and fair elections - so I think any country that could be regarded as democratic by a reasonable person should cut diplomatic ties with China until the CCP is either turfed out of office or holds free and fair elections. Until then, none its territorial claims should be recognized internationally.

thepersoniamnow, there is a big difference between Japan then and China now. Japan used forces to invade the Islands from Chinese while China publicly claimed them back in legal and peaceful way.

Japan should stop sacrifice her own interests to be a friendly with China to satisfy others desire to contain China. A strong China means a safe Japan.

Tensions have been high over the Scarborough Shoal since it was seized from Manila by Beijing in 2012

Actually it is pretty shocking and scary that China can just seize and claim other countries land/water. I wonder why the world never reacted and stopped China from seizing land.

papigiulio,which countries land / water were claimed and seized by China that scares you ?

Japan should stop sacrifice her own interests to be a friendly with China to satisfy others desire to contain China. A strong China means a safe Japan.

How do you possibly come to that conclusion??

extanker, China had been world power for 3000 years and Japan was not occupied by any nations during that period of time.

China is attempting to establish strategic control points throughout the South China Seas Arena in an attempt to exercise a chokehold over the entire sealanes. This is a very dangerous move that threatens the rest of the world’s commercial and milirary shipping. History once again is about to repeat its self B4 our very eyes and the United Nations is blind - dumb & Closed Mouthed!

This is purely and simply electioneering by Abe. He wants to look tough. He knows he is going to anger China, but what he considers more important is getting re-elected, and he knows looking tough against China will help him. Once he is re-elected, if he is, he will back down. The area is disputed. Neither Japan nor China should claim as their own 100%. For that matter, Taiwan should not either. There is a three way dispute.

Chinese economy grew too fast in a short time and their mentality cannot not catch up with the speed of their economic growth and remains anachronistic.

China's 9-dash line is a fiction ruled against by the international community courts. Whatever "history" China uses to claim their neighbor's modern territorial waters is now a moot point. The rule of law now has been set for years and for China to now decide that they are going to upset the whole system for their own nationalism is just going to start a war.

If anything, a show of global force and repatriation should be engaged in.

Repatriation? Who to where? Global force? You first, matey.

Sink them. Imagine what japan would do if China did this in Setonaikai sea.

Goodlucktoyou, Unlike Japan, China is quite a different country. Some many years ago, when Japan was an aggressive imperialistic nation, some Chinese Islands were occupied by Japanese. When China found it out, instead of using force, China offered money to buy them back. That is China and Japan never acquires the trait.

The Southeast Asia Sea never belonged to China. What China really owned in the Shang Dynasty was a small land between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Japan is thus entitled to conduct its first submarine drill in this sea. With its aggression and expansion as the World community see it, no wonder why China has been on the road to international isolation.

The USA has been doing freedom of navigation in the area for years. Britain did this year too and Japan is doing it now.

Great going Japan...about time, what took it so long.  Where are the aircraft carriers, get them warmed up too and send them out like China does with its 1 carrier. 

re:Peace not war. If war breaks out, will you be on the front line?

Old thinking, as there is no front line anymore in todays war fighting.  But Japan has no cowards, if your too scared to be on that front line...It is called war for a reason and therefor the tool for against aggression, didn't you learn anything from the Obama Administration, Chine expanded and stole lots of technology while building rocks into military bases, then claiming more waters all under the guise of research that ended up being what Trump has labeled, users of others goodwill ...

That's amazing! The Japan armed force should do more of this to contain the demons in Beijing.

Repatriation? Who to where? Global force? You first, matey.

Did you not understand my comment? Repatriation of the claimed islands, reefs and seas, to those nations whose watch and ownership they were under prior to China's forced grabbing, matey.

Akie, I have always wonder about the ridiculous claims of China concerning their territories. Just have a good look at the map. Their mainland literally cover a large section of Asia and then they still claim the whole South China Sea and islands that are nowhere near their mainland. They aren't even a island state but they literally claim islands that are near other nations borders. They are straight up lying to the world when they proclaim their ancestors travel to so many places and laid claim to them. Not even Columbus is that shameless.

Hope our days can be forever be peaceful.

Ps:are you sure you are not Chinese? Because i kinda don't think you live in Japan or it could be you are very naive. There is a lot those youth these days. When the world is burning in front of them,they can still only see flowers. You at least have to face reality a little.

Japan should just use the standard Chinese response back to China:

"Please do not interfere with our affairs"

AkieToday 08:41 am JST

Japan should stop sacrifice her own interests to be a friendly with China to satisfy others desire to contain China. A strong China means a safe Japan.

A strong Japan means a safe Japan. A weak China also means a safe Japan.

Thinking otherwise is strange and massively incorrect.

Dont be shocked if their ships hit a mine field, those seabed were shallow!

AkieToday  08:59 am JST

extanker, China had been world power for 3000 years and Japan was not occupied by any nations during that period of time.

Maybe that's because Japan was out of its reach? Japan is a nation of islands, no country has ever successfully invaded Japan.

Chinese land neighbours such as Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Mongolia India... were not that lucky.

@seth. 3.5% of Japan is occupied by the USA. And we have to pay them for it.

Seth M, stop fooling yourself. Why would China invade Japan when she can bring happiness and wisdom to Japanese people in harmonious way ? About 2200 years ago, XuFu was send by Emperor Qin , about 1800 years ago, Japan was named by Empress Wu. China bombed Japan with rice and noodles, stabbed Japan with chopsticks, what you have in Japan now is actually what China had 2000 years ago, culturally speaking.

Nature abhors vacuum. And historically, a vacuum of power is a breeding ground for rogue nations and dictators. It’s good to know that Japan is projecting its naval power into the disputed waters of South China Sea. If you want peace, prepare for war.

Akie,

No one is fooling themselves except you if you believe China wishes to bring only 'happiness and wisdom' to Japan. Well, maybe they want to bring wisdom in the form re-education camps if that 'strong' China decides to invade that 'safe' Japan.

Yeah! Let's be good U.S. target deflectors and twit the Chinese who are not only nextdoor, but as powerful as the U.S. and has no love for its history with Nihon anyway. Twitting China, poking the badger's nest, Abe's appeasement of and sympathy with trump, is going to cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Nihonjin because, of all the things China may choose to do, backing away from escalation is certainly not one of them. Attaboy Abe! Peace in our time! Over the smoking ruins once known as the islands of Japan.

AkieSep. 18  07:53 pm JST

Happiness and wisdom? tell that to the Tibetans and Uyghurs

GoodlucktoyouSep. 18  07:38 pm JST

would have needed alot more land and money if Japan were to defend all by itself anyway

An important fact in this news.

China cannot detect Japan submarines.

and another fact. The state-of-the-art Chinese submarine was captured by a Japan submarine unit as soon as it entered Japan secret waters.

The Chinese nuclear submarine, which was tracked for two days, realized that he could not run away.

escaped from the waters of Japan with the national flag set.

It is not Japan's first submarine drill but Japan's first publicized drill there.