The Japanese idea of defending their East China Sea islands by planning to retake them is ridiculous.
Japan's description of their strategy to counter Chinese island claims is worrisome:
In General Bansho’s telling this adds up to a “Southwestern Wall Strategy” meant to keep the island chain under Japanese sovereignty and make it a barrier to Chinese maritime movement. This all sounds good. Yet recapturing is a telling and troubling word. If it faithfully reflects strategic thinking in Tokyo, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) expect to undertake reactive rather than proactive strategy and operations along the first island chain. Tokyo will await an attack. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will seize ground, then the JSDF will respond and take it back.
I have long expressed my displeasure at Japan's idea of deterring Chinese conquest:
Japan is foolish to rely on the ability to race to the contested Senkaku Islands ahead of the Chinese.
Yes, I know that Japan is buying V-22s (but China may think they have an answer to that) and building a small marine corps with amphibious assets to beat China to occupy the Senkaku Islands (which China claims to own, too) in a crisis.
But since China will initiate any such race, China will have the advantage in timing the race while Japan is unready (perhaps because of weather alone).
And while Japan may not be able to deploy troops permanently on these islands, Japan could defend them with "robots" where troops can't stand on the ground for long.
