Chronologies
Japan - China
Chronology from Jan 2019 to May 2019
: Japan introduces its version of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD). There was no immediate comment from Beijing.
: Talks held between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers in Beijing.
: Japan’s Defense Ministry reports that its fighters scrambled 999 times in fiscal year 2018.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry merges its Korean and Japanese divisions.
: Japanese Coast Guard vessel Kojima embarks on a three-month training cruise that includes visit to Sri Lanka and Greece.
: Kong Xuanyou 59 is appointed ambassador to Japan, succeeding Cheng Yonghua, 64, who held the post for nine years.
: Consortium of China’s Harvest Fund Management and Taiwan’s TPK Holdings bail out LCD manufacturer Japan Display.
: Taiwanese software entrepreneur José Lin advocates avoiding China in favor of Japan since the former has “zero concept of intellectual property rights.”
: Taiwan’s Air Force intercepts two PLAAF jets when they cross the median line between Taiwan and China, thought to be a response to Chinese criticism of warming ties between Taiwan and Japan.
: Air Self-Defense Force scrambles against seven PLA Air Force (PLAAF) planes that transit through the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and Okinawa.
: Japan-Taiwan Exchange Organization, Japan’s unofficial embassy to Taiwan, the also unofficial American Institute on Taiwan, and Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry co-host an international workshop under the Global Cooperation and Training Workshop.
: GSDF establishes new bases on Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima and Miyakojima island in Okinawa to enhance defense of the southwestern Nansei islands.
: Japanese fighter jets intercepts two Chinese anti-submarine patrol aircraft north of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese government continues to protest Chinese test drilling for resource development near the intermediate line between the two countries in the East China Sea.
: Japan downgrades its assessment of the economy for the first time in three years, blaming the US-China trade war and declining Chinese economic growth.
: An LDP policy group proposes the creation of a National Economic Council to develop and integrate strategy on the economy, national security and diplomacy.
: Japanese Defense Ministry announces that it will develop the nation’s first domestically manufactured air-to-ship cruise missile.
: Taiwan’s foreign minister advocates closer Taiwan-Japan cooperation in the face of common threats such as global warming, cross-border ties, and cyberattacks.
: Japanese Defense Ministry announces plans to construct a new type of patrol ship to be mainly used in the waters around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
: Japanese authorities charge two Japanese nationals with exporting wagyu fertilized eggs and sperm to China without undergoing the required quarantine procedures.
: Japan announces it will send a Maritime Self-Defense Force ship to participate in China’s fleet review.
: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is interviewed in Sankei Shimbun and expresses for the first time her interest in direct dialogue with the Japanese government on cybersecurity and regional security issues.
: Bank of Japan adviser to the Ukrainian government expresses concerns about the effect on Japanese security of Chinese entities’ acquisition of sensitive Ukrainian technology.
: China’s leading military newspaper urges remaining vigilant about Japan’s creeping militarization.
: Japan and India agree to work together to combat cyberattacks centered mainly on Chinese telecom Huawei’s equipment.
: Japanese e-tailer Rakuten announces it will upgrade unmanned delivery services by using Chinese counterpart JD.com for delivery of heavier packages over longer distances.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces plan to establish a special 24-person section to liaise with other nations to counter maritime advances by China in the region.
: Japan and Britain agree to cooperate in research in such areas as quantum science and artificial intelligence in response to China’s rapid advances in science and technology.
: Japanese government lodges a protest with China over its continued deployment of a drilling ship in a contested areas of the East China Sea.
: Global Times opinion piece criticizes Japan as seeking to expand its military power by signing agreements with Canada, France, India, Australia, and the US.
: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, visiting Tokyo, states her support for the Abe administration’s initiative for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” to counter Chinese expansionism, and pledges cooperation on preventing the Chinese government from collecting and harnessing vast amounts of data.
: Japanese Coast Guard apprehends a Chinese fishing boat illegally harvesting coral in Japan’s EEZ.
: Beijing’s Global Times reports that Japanese companies continued to invest in China, despite Western analysts’ prediction that the US-China trade dispute would dampen economic ties between China and Japan.
: Senior foreign affairs and defense officials meet in Beijing, agreeing on the importance of promoting confidence-building efforts in the security field.
: Columnist for China Daily criticizes Japan for unrealistic expectations on the return of the disputed Kuril Islands, citing Japan’s alliance with the US as a major factor.
: Yomiuri editorial calls for the US to visibly display its commitment to Taiwan in the face of Chinese pressure, deeming it essential to restraining China and maintaining stability in Asia.
: Asahi reports that wealthy Chinese buyers’ fondness for Kyoto real estate has driven prices beyond the reach of many locals, engendering resentment.
: Japan and France agree to strengthen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
: Bloomberg announces that, for the first time since 2012, Japanese companies outranked China’s in the total volume of mergers and acquisitions, predicting that the spending spree would continue in 2019.