A YouTube video claims to show aircraft dispatched by Japan to the West Philippine Sea to show support for the Philippines amid increased tensions with China over a territorial dispute. This is false.
The clips actually came from a joint military exercise between Japan and the United States last March over the sea of Japan, and not in the WPS.
Uploaded on Nov. 11, the one-minute, 38-second clip shows seven fighter jets flying in formation. Its thumbnail, bearing a “breaking news” label, featured the jets with Japanese and Philippine flags digitally added to them. The video bore the headline:
“CHINA VS PILIPINAS JAPAN BUMANAT NA (CHINA VS PHILIPPINES JAPAN ALREADY HIT) PART2! PHILIPPINE VINES BREAKING NEWS VIRAL.”
The text in the video further claimed that Japan sent the fighter jets to the West Philippine Sea as a response to the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) use of water cannon against a Philippine resupply ship in Ayungin last Nov. 10.
The false video mirrored clips from the original YouTube video that was uploaded on March 17 by Japan’s Ministry of Defense – Joint Staff Office. Its Japanese caption translates to: “Japanese and American joint training (during flight).”
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) also posted a photo of the same event on Twitter showing JASDF’s F-15 and U.S. Air Force’s F-16 jets in the tactical training.
The exercise aimed to show the two countries’ rapid reaction readiness and capabilities and close bilateral coordination and their forces’ interoperability.
The video was uploaded a day after CCG and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels again executed dangerous maneuvers to obstruct a Philippine resupply ship to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.
Ella Vloggs (created on Feb. 15, 2019) uploaded the false video that has 61,950 views as of writing. This YouTube channel with 305,000 subscribers, has been flagged for repeatedly spreading military-related disinformation.
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