China has strongly objected to the possible deployment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to the disputed South China Sea.

Beijing issued a stern warning to Tokyo saying that it would consider "military action" if Japan goes ahead with its plan to deploy its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to back up U.S. operations in the contested waters.

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A few months ago, China's Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua hinted about the possibility of Chinese military action if Tokyo sends its SDF to the South China Sea. "Japan will cross a red line if SDF vessels take part in so-called freedom of navigation operations," Yonghua had said, Kyodo reported.

Japan's new defense minister Tomomi Inada is aiming to expand the country's military role abroad. Japan's SDF troops, under revised security laws, will soon take part in training on overseas deployment. "The defense ministry will take all appropriate measures so that the [SDF] can adequately conduct missions given to them," she said in the first week of August.

China is claiming a large portion of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. The Asian power is engaged in a bitter dispute with its neighbors, including Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan, over the ownership of territories in the South China Sea. It is also building up military infrastructure as well as artificial islands in the contested waters.

Last month, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China's claims over disputed region saying that the country has no legal basis to claim the contested territory. Japan and the United States have repeatedly asked China to abide by the ruling of the court. 

Tagschina, Japan, SDF, South China Sea, US