A frenzied cyberspace backlash on China’s notoriously active internet message boards has forced Japan to abandon plans to send military aircraft to help earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan.

The dispatch of transporter planes belonging to the Air Self Defence Force (ASDF) would have been heavy with symbolism, marking the first Japanese military presence in China since the Second World War.

Following the abrupt U-turn, Japan will provide aid to the quake-hit region – much-needed tents and medical supplies - using only civilian aircraft.

“We considered the fact that opinions were emerging in China against the dispatch of SDF aircraft, and decided to shelve the plan after discussing the matter with the Chinese side,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, who confirmed that Beijing had informally sounded Japan out on the use of self defence force assistance to the quake.

“The idea is not something we should force on China if it could cause conflict. So we have adopted a cautious stance,” he added.

Although the request for aid to be brought in using ASDF planes appears to have originated in Beijing, the idea of China’s reviled wartime enemy crossing its borders in uniform was too much for the country’s avid hordes of internet users – a group rapidly emerging as a powerful force of political influence.

Infuriated by the Japanese authorities for rushing ahead with plans to send the military transporter planes - and with their own government’s apparent acquiescence to the scheme - Chinese websites quickly filled with messages condemning the plan.

The informal invitation to Japan’s SDF raised eyebrows on both sides of the East China Sea when it emerged earlier this week – although diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo are now visibly on the mend after many years of acrimony, the issue of Japan’s historical imperialism remains a flashpoint of anti-Japanese sentiment for the Chinese public.

China’s apparent invitation to Japan’s military seems to have emerged from a conversation on Tuesday about earthquake relief supplies held in Beijing. A senior official of China’s defence ministry met with his opposite Japanese number and reportedly included the use of ASDF planes as an option. Tokyo interpreted that as an invitation, and set to work hammering-out the logistics of a military dispatch.

Hoping that the move might underscore the warming bilateral ties between Asia’s two biggest powers, the Japanese government has been keen since the earthquake hit on May 12 to use its military vehicles to move supplies into Sichuan. Russian, Korean and American military vehicles are already performing that role.

Japan’s defence minister Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged the massive backlash that the plan had attracted on Chinese websites, but said he didn’t think that the shelving of the plan would derail ongoing efforts to foster constructive military exchange.

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