Satellite images show China blowing up mock a Japan warplane. There is growing concern that a potential Chinese annexation of Taiwan would seriously jeopardize Japan's security and spark a larger confrontation.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is aware that an invasion of Taiwan would probably lead to confrontation with Japan because Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost inhabited island, is barely 110 kilometers (68 miles) away.
Japanese authorities have established a connection between Taiwan's security and their own, allowing Japan to participate in Taiwan's defense. As a response, the PLA fired a missile or missiles at a simulated Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) aircraft in Xinjiang, a desert region in northwest China, according to a report from Planet Labs, which was cited by Nikkei.
Nikkei examined photos taken by Planet Labs, a U.S.-based satellite operator. Photographs of the same location in mid-May showed an object shaped like an E-767, an airborne warning and c...