From The Asashi Shimbunm:
For officials in charge of defending Japan, the year to watch out for is 2008.
Around that time, Defense Agency officials predict China’s military will dwarf that of Taiwan, and Beijing may even beef up its air force to a level comparable to the combined power of the Air Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Air Force in Japan.
“The balance of military power between China and Taiwan will tip over to the China side in and after 2008 when the Olympic Games are to be held in Beijing,” a senior official was quoted as telling former Defense Agency Director-General Fukushiro Nukaga in November. “That is because China will purchase more Russian-made state-of-the-art Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 fighters. The Nansei Islands (Ryukyu and other islands in southwestern Japan) near Taiwan may also be affected.”
