Japan to introduce early-warning aircraft in new defense program

Japan will strengthen its surveillance capabilities in response to China's growing assertiveness over a territorial dispute by introducing new early-warning aircraft and airborne warning and control systems, an outline of a new medium-term defense program showed Wednesday.

Japan wants to reflect the changes in the envisioned program, set to cover a five-year period from April next year, as tensions with China remain high over a row on the sovereignty of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. China claims the islands and calls them Diaoyu.

The government also wants to list the acquisition of surveillance drones in the envisioned program which is set to be adopted next Tuesday along with the new longer-term defense policy known as the National Defense Program Outline.

Read more