THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda indicated that Japan may resort to using military force to defend its territory, including the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

“In case a neighboring country engages in illegal acts on our territorial soil and in our territorial waters, including the Senkaku Islands, we will react resolutely, including the possible use of the Self-Defense Forces as the need arises,” Noda told a plenary session of the Lower House on July 26.

Noda made the remark after Daizo Kusuda, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, asked him about how the SDF and the government would respond if China were to trespass illegally onto the Senkaku Islands.

Read more: Chính’s news: Noda hints at using SDF to defend Senkaku Islands.