A hot-air balloon drifting on the ocean is seen in the East China Sea near the disputed isles known as Senkaku isles in Japan and Diaoyu islands in China, in this handout photo taken and released by the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast Guard January 2, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters
Did a Chinese Hot Air Balloon Just Expose Japan's Military? -- Will Atkins, Real Clear Defense
A seemingly benign Chinese “hot air balloon enthusiast” may have just inadvertently uncovered Japanese military shortcomings.
On New Year’s Day, a Chinese man named Xu Shuaijun launched a hot air balloon from Fujian province in southeast China and travelled over 220 miles before a malfunction caused him to crash land the balloon in the East China Sea, just 12 miles south of his intended target – the Senkaku Islands in southwest Japan.
The incident would have likely never made international headlines, if not for tensions surrounding the recent administrative expansionism by China in claiming the contested island chain as part of its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), and the recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister Abe to the Yasukuni Shrine, believed by China to honor former Japanese leaders convicted of war crimes.
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My Comment: There are two explanations for this .... the Japanese did not take the Chinese incursion seriously .... or .... they were unable to detect the balloon until it was too late. Either way .... this shows a serious weakness in Japan's military preparedness.
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