Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Tuesday, August 4, urged Japan to enhance its defence capabilities with a greater "sense of urgency and crisis," citing growing threats from China, North Korea, and Russia as detailed in the government's latest defence white paper.

Japan has been gradually strengthening its defence forces over the years, but officials now emphasize the need to quicken this pace due to a deteriorating regional security environment. The push has drawn criticism from Beijing and Pyongyang, which accuse Japan of abandoning its post-war pacifist principles. However, Tokyo maintains that its actions remain defensive and within constitutional limits.

Experts note that Japan's current military expansion does not represent a sudden "remilitarisation," as the country has maintained self-defence capabilities for decades. Japan renounced the right to maintain a military under Article 9 of its US-drafted constitution after World War II but established the Self-Defense Forces in 1954 to ensure national protection.

"Japan legally does not have a military; it has a Self-Defense Force," said Jeffrey Hornung, a senior political scientist at RAND. He added that while critics highlight Japan's development of long-range missiles as pushing boundaries, these weapons are limited to "counter use" strategies, meaning they can only be used once Japan is attacked.

The latest phase of Japan's defence expansion began in 2022, influenced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls from then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for increased military capabilities. Public support for a more robust self-defence force tends to rise following provocative acts by China or missile launches by North Korea near Japan.

Japan faces a challenging security environment, living in a neighborhood where three nuclear-armed states publicly criticize it and threaten its security and sovereignty.

Sources

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