IINA: Japan’s Strategy of “Proactive Restraint” in Defending the Senkaku Islands

By Kentaro Furuya, Adjunct Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies/ Professor, Japan Coast Guard Academy

In the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, incursions into Japanese territorial waters by vessels belonging to the China Coast Guard (CCG), as well as their persistent presence in the contiguous zone just outside those waters, have become a near-daily occurrence. This trend is widely attributed to China’s reorganization of its maritime agencies and the incorporation of the CCG into the People’s Armed Police, which operates under the command of the Central Military Commission—resulting in enhanced capabilities and a more assertive posture.