Japan Rejects China’s ‘New Militarism’ Charge, Questions Beijing’s Military Expansion

Japan has strongly rejected China's accusation that it is pursuing " new militarism ", with Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arguing that Beijing's own military expansion is a far greater cause for concern.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Koizumi dismissed China's criticism of Japan's defence modernisation, saying, " Nothing could be further from the truth ."

"Think about it. There is a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled 'new militarism ', " he said in an apparent reference to China.

The remarks came after Chinese military delegate Major General Meng Xiangqing accused Japan of failing to fully confront its wartime past and questioned whether Tokyo could be trusted as a regional security partner. China has repeatedly described Japan's military reforms as a dangerous departure from its post-war pacifist tradition.

Koizumi defended Japan's record as a peace-loving nation since World War II and warned that " opaque military build-ups and action without clear intentions will be the cause of distrust and miscalculation ." He said Japan would pursue its defence reforms " with a high degree of transparency ."

Japan is expanding investments in artificial intelligence, cyber defence, space capabilities and unmanned systems, while strengthening security cooperation with partners across the Indo-Pacific. Koizumi said China's growing military capabilities, rising defence spending and increasing activities around Taiwan and in regional waters remain matters of serious concern.

China raised its official defence budget by 7.2 per cent this year to about USD 245 billion. Despite the tensions, Koizumi said Japan remains committed to dialogue with Beijing, while expressing disappointment that Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun skipped the forum for a second consecutive year.