China's foreign ministry has made a solemn complaint to the US embassy in Beijing about the shooting down of a Chinese balloon that was crossing the US mainland by US fighter jets off the coast of South Carolina. announced.



According to the Ministry of Defense, balloons are classified as aircraft under international law, and intruding into the airspace of another country violates international law and constitutes an infringement.

In the past, military and civilian aircraft have entered the territorial airspace of other countries, raising tensions not only in the countries concerned but also in the international community as a whole.

According to the Ministry of Defense, balloons are considered aircraft under international law.



It is a violation of international law for an aircraft to intrude into another country's airspace without authorization, and is considered an infringement of its airspace.



Aircraft that violate airspace are generally warned to leave or forced to land at the nearest airfield, and international law stipulates that necessary measures can be taken against military aircraft that do not comply with orders.

In the case of Japan, if a foreign balloon invades its airspace without any special circumstances, it will be regarded as an infringement of its airspace, and the Air Self-Defense Force will scramble (emergency launch) as necessary.



Self-Defense Forces aircraft can use weapons when infringing on airspace if they meet the requirements for self-defense and emergency evacuation.



Regarding aircraft, including balloons, it is said that radar sites nationwide are conducting warning and surveillance for possible airspace violations, and there have been no cases of public airspace violations by foreign balloons.

On the other hand, it is said that it is proceeding with the analysis of the white flying object that was sighted in the sky above Sendai City in June 2020.

Also, in January last year, a balloon of unknown origin was confirmed on the high seas west of Kyushu.



According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in principle, notification and permission to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism are required when flying balloons in Japan, including foreign ones.

Airspace intrusion raises tensions

Regarding territorial airspace, military and civilian aircraft have entered the territorial airspace of other countries in the past, raising tensions not only in the countries concerned but also in the international community as a whole.



Of these, in 1960 during the Cold War period, an American U2 reconnaissance plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while flying over the former Soviet airspace.



As a result, the two countries faced a fierce confrontation, and not only was the planned U.S.-Soviet summit meeting cancelled, but also the construction of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which the world faced the danger of nuclear war, occurred. Tensions increased throughout the international community.



In 1983, a Korean Air flight deviated from its original course and flew over former Soviet airspace, and was shot down by a fighter plane, killing all 269 passengers and crew.



While the United States and others strongly condemned the shooting down, the former Soviet Union strongly opposed it, and the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union receded.

Former Air Self-Defense Force General "Channel of dialogue"

Regarding the Chinese balloon shot down by the US military, Junichi Araki, a former Air Self-Defense Force fighter pilot, said, ``Given that it has been flying over the mainland of the United States for several days, it is for military reconnaissance purposes. It is common to think that the main purpose is to observe the weather, but if the airspace of another country is to be used for that purpose, it should be notified in advance, and failing to do so constitutes an act of violating its sovereignty.” points out.



Regarding the response of the United States this time, "Because it is within the scope of sovereignty, the country concerned will deal with intruders as necessary. It is almost impossible to capture a balloon flying at a high altitude. , This time, it must have been shot down. From now on, the focus will be on whether the recovered equipment is for weather observation, or whether it has a function to collect radio waves and images that can be used for military purposes." I'm here.



On top of that, he said, "We must avoid intensifying the confrontation between the United States and China on this occasion. It is important to avoid unnecessary escalation based on misperceptions, so we will open channels of dialogue and exchange various information. We need to continue to do so."