Japan has raised the alarm over China’s rapid military buildup in its draft defense paper, suggesting the Chinese regime may be preparing to move up its plan to build a “world-class military” by the mid-21st century.
The draft paper referred to Beijing as Japan’s “greatest strategic challenge” and warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could amass 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, Kyodo News reported Tuesday.
It also raised concerns about China’s military cooperation with Russia. The two nations have carried out five joint bomber flights near Japan since July 2019, which Japan regarded as “a show of force.”
Japan warned that the international community has entered “a new era of crisis” following Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which it said has disrupted the international order spanning Europe and Asia.
“Russia appears to have suffered substantial damage to its conventional military forces, raising the possibility that its national strength may decline over the medium to long term and the military balance with neighboring countries may change,” the paper says.
The Defense Ministry is expected to submit the white paper to the Cabinet in July.
Taiwan Issue
Japan has previously raised concerns over China’s military threat against Taiwan. Last year, the ministry devoted 10 pages of its annual defense report (pdf) to Taiwan, double the pages of the previous year’s edition, giving an extensive overview of the security situation there.
A Chinese warship fires at a target during a military drill near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands close to the Chinese coast, China, on April 8, 2023. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)
The 2022 defense report stated that conflict between the United States and China is becoming “prominent” over Taiwan, with Washington increasing warship transits through the Taiwan Straits while China increases its military presence near Taiwan.
Japan considers the stability surrounding Taiwan to be of paramount importance for its national security and emphasizes the need for close monitoring “with a sense of urgency.”
The CCP aims to take control of Taiwan by any means necessary, even though Taiwan is a self-governing democracy.
Earlier in April, Beijing staged a three-day military drill around Taiwan after Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California. Chinese aircraft incursions into the region continued even after the CCP proclaimed the conclusion of its military exercise.
China’s Military Threat
On May 11, Japan’s defense ministry said that a Chinese naval flotilla was spotted circling Japan-controlled islands for days, which came as Japan deployed the PAC-3 surface-to-air missile defense system on Miyako Island, which is situated close to Taiwan.
Japan has said the deployment was meant to deter North Korea’s missile threat but China’s state-owned media described the move as preparations “for military intervention in the Taiwan question.”
During the 2022 East Asia Summit in Cambodia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida accused Beijing of threatening Japan’s sovereignty in the East China Sea and escalating tensions in the South China Sea—where Beijing is pushing its claims on neighboring countries despite a Hague Tribunal ruling against its claims in 2016.
“There has been continued, increasing actions by China in the East China Sea that violate Japan’s sovereignty. China also continues to take actions that heighten regional tension in the South China Sea,” Kishida said, while emphasizing the need to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait.
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