Chief of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces has said that the country may join US forces in its regular patrolling in the South China Sea.
Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano said that the recent moves by China to build artificial islands have created "very serious potential concerns" for Japan, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Japan does not have any plans to conduct surveillance in the South China Sea currently but the country may consider it, depending on the situation, Adm. Kawano said.
However, Adm. Kawano did not specify the actions that might trigger Japanese consideration of patrols.