Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on Thursday warned China that it may have violated the United Nations Charter when its warships locked their fire-control radars on a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and helicopter last month and called for setting up a hotline between Tokyo and Beijing.
The Chinese actions "may have been a threat of military force under the U.N. Charter, and we will review how Japan can respond to such action," Onodera said during a session of the Lower House Budget Committee.
He was responding to a question by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba, who said some experts argue that international law would allow Japan to retaliate against such a provocation, and asked which laws should be applied in these circumstances.