Japan worries this Chinese oil rig might become a covert naval base

Japan is demanding China remove surveillance equipment from a gas-drilling platform in international waters in the East China Sea, The Wall Street Journal reports. Tokyo has also reached out to Beijing over what it believes are territorial violations, in which two Chinese coast guard ships allegedly entered Japanese waters on Sunday.

While the surveillance cameras and radar are of particular concern, as it is the first time China has been accused of installing such devices in the area, Japan News reports that the Defense Ministry analyzed images of the facility and does not believe the equipment can detect incoming aircrafts; rather, it seems to be used for observing the surface of the ocean. Still, it might just require a hardware update to expand the capabilities of the equipment.

"[The oil rig] could be the first step for using sea-based facilities as military bases," a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

China has also recently raised tensions in the South China Sea, where it installed military equipment on artificial islands. An international tribunal ruled that China has no legal claim over the region in July.