Tokyo warned that the increase in military spending and the lack of transparency from Beijing raise concerns about regional stability.
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The Japanese Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, launched a harsh criticism against China by accusing Beijing of rapidly expanding its military capabilities without providing sufficient transparency about its strategic objectives, a situation that raises growing concern among Asia-Pacific countries and the international community.
During his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the main security forum in Asia held in Singapore, Koizumi positioned China's military expansion as one of the main challenges to regional stability and questioned the lack of information regarding the scope and purpose of the strengthening of the Chinese Armed Forces.
''China continues to increase its defense spending at a high level,'' stated the Japanese official. ''Its outward approach and military activities are a serious concern for Japan and for the international community''.
The statements reflect Tokyo's growing unease over the accelerated military modernization process driven by Beijing over the past two decades. China has invested billions of dollars in the development of new naval capabilities, missile systems, space technology, cyber defense, and advanced weaponry, becoming the second military power in the world by defense budget.
The Japanese Defense Minister launched harsh criticism against the military expansionism of Xi Jinping's communist regime.
However, several Western and Asian governments argue that the Chinese government provides little information about its long-term strategic objectives, fueling suspicions about its true intentions in the region.
Japanese concern has intensified especially due to Chinese military activities in the East China Sea and around Taiwan, an autonomous island that Beijing considers part of its territory and whose reunification it does not rule out achieving through the use of force.
In recent years, the Chinese military has increased naval and aerial maneuvers near Taiwan, while its ships and aircraft operate more frequently in areas close to Japan. Tokyo believes these movements are part of a broader strategy to expand Chinese military influence and alter the balance of power in Asia.
Koizumi stated that China's growing military capability contrasts with the accusations that Beijing directs against Japan. The minister rejected Chinese claims about a supposed resurgence of Japanese militarism and argued that his country maintains a defensive policy based on pacifist principles since the end of World War II.
''There is a country that possesses a huge nuclear arsenal and strategic bombers. Japan has none of those systems, and yet we are accused of new militarism,'' he declared.
The government of Xi Jinping, for its part, accused Japan of carrying out military policies similar to those of World War II.
Japanese criticisms prompted an immediate response from the Chinese delegation present in Singapore. Major General Meng Xiangqing accused Japan of not having fully overcome the legacy of its militaristic past and questioned its moral authority to speak on defense cooperation.
Nevertheless, the focus of the Japanese intervention was centered on China's behavior and what Tokyo considers an increasingly aggressive military policy.
Tensions between the two countries have significantly increased over the past year. The situation worsened after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that a hypothetical Chinese offensive against Taiwan could have direct consequences for Japanese national security and even provoke a military response.
Sanae Takaichi warned that a potential Chinese military action against Taiwan could have repercussions in Japan.
At the same time, Japan has strengthened its own defensive capabilities and expanded cooperation with regional and Western partners. In April, the Japanese government approved the most significant reform of its arms export regulations in decades, allowing the sale of warships, missiles, and other military equipment to allied countries.
Koizumi defended these measures as a response to an increasingly complex security environment, marked by China's military rise and growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific. ''We want a region capable of resisting coercion, that is not influenced by pressures, and that can defend an international order based on rules,'' he stated.
