Peoples Daily Thursday, August 24, 2000, updated at 09:58(GMT+8) Opinion Why Does Japan Need a Long-Range Reconnaissance Plane? Japan's coast guard is prepared to purchase a long-range reconnaissance plane to combat the increasingly rampant pirate problem in the south Asian seas, according to the Japanese daily Asahi. But what are Japan's true intentions? To patrol the southeast seas? Analysts have pointed out that Japan's basic goals in developing its long-range reconnaissance capabilities is to increase its ability to gather information, increase its scrutiny over the region, weaken China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region, wean off their reliance on American intelligence and lay the foundation for strengthening Japan's military. The Japanese coast guard have openly said that besides patrolling the Strait of Malacca, the long-range reconnaissance planes will be used to observe the activities of Chinese ships off the coast of Japan. Not long ago, the Japanese Defense Agency, set up a 660-person unit with machine guns and anti-tank bombs to "protect the island" and handle the Chinese and Korean "threat." On the 55th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II August 15, members of the Japanese parliament ignored the reactions of Asians and visited the Yasukuni shrine, a Shinto memorial to Japanese soldiers who have died in battle since the 19th century. During the negotiations with North Korea earlier this week, Japan refused to compensate North Korea for its wartime aggression
