Chinese President Xi Jinping had an option to avoid firing missiles into Japan's EEZ but instead tried to rattle Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)

Analysis: Xi ditched milder options in sending missiles toward Japan

Military had prepared last-minute alternatives that avoided controversy

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer

August 25, 2022 04:00 JST

Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He was the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize.