Of course, China's navy is not untoward in blue water

There is a Chinese idiom "lose the axe and suspect the neighbor" that reflects how jumping to conclusions can lead to an innocent person being the target of unfounded suspicions.

That mindset is exactly what Japan is adopting in considering the deployment of a surface-to-ship missile unit on the main island in Okinawa's island chain. According to a report in the Asahi Shimbun early this week, the move is to strengthen the country's defense and serve as a check to Chinese naval vessels passing through the strategic Miyako Strait.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces already plan to deploy anti-ship missiles on several other small islands near the key waterway. The latest deployment schedule will enable it to build a missile system that can cover the entire Miyako Strait, the main gateway of the Chinese navy to the Pacific.