【Original May 16, 2024】
Given the role drones are currently playing in Ukrainian war zones, the issue of a video posted on Chinese social media, showing a drone taking aerial footage of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer “Izumo” docked at Yokosuka Naval Base, needs to be addressed as a realistic threat. Laws should be developed to crack down on suspicious drones and enforcement measures should be implemented.
Video Posted on Chinese Social Media
Yokosuka base is the largest of JMSDF bases and is home to Yokosuka District Headquarters, where the command functions are concentrated. The Izumo, JMSDF’s largest destroyer, has a wide flight deck and can operate multiple patrol helicopters. Plans are underway to make it capable of carrying Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s stealth fighter, the F35B. The base is also home to the Aegis destroyer “Maya” and other vessels that intercept ballistic missiles from North Korea.
Airspace over defense-related facilities such as Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) bases is subject to the Drone Regulation Law, which prohibits drone flights. When the video went viral on a Chinese social media site on March 26, the Ministry of Defense suspected it was a doctored video because no intrusion was detected by radar or radio wave signals installed at Yokosuka base.
On April 2, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated at a press conference, “We are currently analyzing the video, including the possibility that it was maliciously processed or fabricated,” but on May 9, he released their analysis that determined the aerial drone footage was genuine. The 20-second video clip was shot from above the Izumo along its deck, but no details have emerged as to when or whom it was taken by. However, it is too late to make an analytical judgment more than a month after the video was posted, let alone the unguarded intrusion.
If a drone were to collide with a destroyer or facility on base, it could destroy critical equipment and interfere with operations, and thus, affect the defense system of our country. An even more serious case that should be considered is a drone terrorist attack. The government should expedite countermeasures against this type of threat, which is more likely to occur than armed attacks by foreign military forces.
In Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, drones and other unmanned weapons are reshaping warfare. The combination of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and generative AI in modern warfare is being monitored around the world, with conscripted citizens joining the fight. This means that a relatively inexpensive battle can be fought by knowledgeable and skilled civilians.
In addition to JMSDF, Yokosuka Port is home to a U.S. naval base. In Japan, far-left extremists have frequently fired projectiles at U.S. military bases and other locations. On top of stricter drone control laws that prohibit drones from entering JSDF and U.S. military bases and other important facilities in Japan, it is necessary to introduce sophisticated drone detection and tracking systems, as well as develop and introduce equipment and legislation that will enable laser interceptions.
Enact Anti-Espionage Laws
Unlike missiles and other weapons, drones have a shorter flight range. The recent footage may have been taken by Chinese nationals since it was posted on Chinese social media, but anti-espionage laws should be enacted to crack down on Chinese spy networks in our country.
