On July 1, the first day of Japan's one-month presidency of the 15-member United Nations Security Council, Japanese Ambassador to the UN Koro Bessho voiced "deep concern" about maritime disputes between China and some of its neighbors. He also said the Security Council would take up issues on the request of its members or other UN members. This shows Japan's eagerness to raise the so-called South China Sea issue on the international stage.

Unlike the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing have a dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, Japan has no territorial claims in the South China Sea. Nevertheless, Japan, like the United States, is fueling and exploiting the tensions in the South China Sea to advance its own economic and strategic interests in Southeast Asia.

In January, Japan's Ministry of Defense announced the rerouting of its military aircraft returning from anti-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa. Instead of refueling at their traditional stopovers like Singapore and Thailand, the two P-3 Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft landed in countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. Those aircraft carried highly sophisticated equipment, designed to monitor and track vessels, including submarines.