TOKYO - Japan had asked China to avoid using a route for a submarine-launched ballistic missile that would pass over Japan's territory, territorial waters and exclusive economic zone before the missile was fired last week, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
China made no clear response to the request, forcing Japan to keep its guard up even after the missile was fired on July 6 from a nuclear-powered submarine on a different flight path from waters east of Hainan Island toward the South Pacific, the sources said.
The moves suggest a lack of sufficient communication between Tokyo and Beijing on security matters, as their relations have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November.
Based on Beijing's advance notifications and related analyses, Japan had anticipated two possible routes, including one from the Bohai Sea near the Yellow Sea that would pass over Japan and possibly draw harsh backlash from the neighboring country.
Whether Tokyo's demand affected Beijing's decision to opt for the southern route remains unclear, the sources said.
Japan's government said China notified it around 11:30 a.m. on July 6, about 90 minutes before the firing, that it would launch a ballistic missile. The previous day, China had informed Japan of four designated sea areas related to possible falling space debris, including waters within Japan's EEZ in the Pacific.
Following the notification, Japan conveyed its serious concern to China over its intensifying military activities and urged that the launch be reconsidered. It remained on alert until China informed it later that evening that the planned "space activities" had ended.
Sino-Japanese ties have been strained since Takaichi infuriated China by her remarks that a Chinese attack on Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, could prompt a response by Japan's Self-Defense Forces in support of its ally, the United States.
