Japan Expresses Concern Over China’s ICBM Test in Pacific Amid Rising Military Tensions
China said Wednesday that it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, in a rare public test that may raise international concerns as the country builds up its nuclear arsenal at a time of tensions with the United States.
The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force launched the ICBM carrying a simulated warhead at 8:44 a.m. local time (8:44 p.m. Tuesday ET), the Chinese defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it accurately landed in a predetermined area of the high seas. The path of the missile and the exact place it fell were unclear.
The ministry said the test was a routine part of the Rocket Force’s annual military training. “It is in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target,” it said.
Relevant countries were notified in advance, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. The launch “tested weaponry performance and military training effectiveness and achieved desired goals,” Xinhua reported, citing the defense ministry.
The Japanese government’s top spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said Wednesday that officials were still confirming the details of the launch but that the missile did not appear to have passed over Japan and there were no reports of damage. He said Japan had not been informed in advance.
Hayashi said China was rapidly expanding its nuclear and missile arsenal and increasing its defense expenditures without sufficient transparency. He said there was also greater and more frequent Chinese military activity around Japan, a U.S. treaty ally that has also been expanding its defense budget, citing what Japan said was an unprecedented incursion into its airspace last month by a Chinese warplane.
“These developments in China’s military activities, combined with their lack of transparency, have become a matter of serious concern for Japan and for the international community,” he said.
