By Zhang Yini and Ma Longbiao

张一尼　马龙飙

During WWII, the imperial Japan waged war of aggression, committed innumerable crimes and inflicted immense suffering on the people of Asia and the whole world. As one of the key architects of the postwar international order, the US should have urged Japan to deeply reflect on its historical guilt and adhere to the path of peaceful development. However, Washington has repeatedly given green light to Japan's military expansion, gravely endangering regional security and stability.

二战期间，日本军国主义发动侵略战争，犯下罄竹难书的罪行，给亚洲和世界人民带来深重灾难。作为战后国际秩序的重要建构者之一，美国本应督促日本深刻反省历史罪责、恪守和平发展道路，如今却屡屡纵容日本强军扩武，严重危害地区安全和稳定。

America's indulgence of Japan's rearmament can be traced back to the Cold War. To counter the so-called Soviet threat, the core of US policy toward Japan shifted from restraining militarism to exploiting military potential. In 1951, the US and Japan signed the Japan-US security treaty, establishing a military alliance characterized by US dominance and Japan's subordination, which laid the groundwork for Japan's eventual return to military expansion.

美国对日本扩军的纵容始于冷战时期。为应对所谓苏联威胁，美国对日政策的核心从“遏制军国主义”转向“利用军事潜力”。1951年，美国与日本签订《日美安保条约》，双方形成了“美主日从”的军事同盟关系，为日本重新走上军事扩张之路埋下了伏笔。

However, after the end of Cold War, US indulgence of Japan's military expansion has not ceased. In recent years, the US has regarded Japan as a pawn in advancing its so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy and intervention in regional affairs, thus allowing Tokyo to pursue military unshackling through various means.

冷战结束后，美国对日本扩军的纵容从未停止。近年来，美国将日本视为推行所谓“印太战略”、介入地区事务的马前卒，通过多种方式为日本军事“全面松绑”。

The US has consistently condoned and even abetted Japan in breaking through the constraints of its pacifist constitution. As early as 1954, under Washington's instigation, Japan departed from the constitutional provision that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained" and formally established the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. In 2014, the Abe administration lifted the ban on collective self-defense, allowing the Self-Defense Forces to abandon the "exclusively defense-oriented" commitment. This step further lowered the threshold for Japan to wage war or become directly involved in international armed conflicts, drawing criticism from the international community. However, then US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel openly declared that the US encourages and supports such efforts.

默许和纵容日本突破和平宪法。早在1954年，在美国的授意下，日本便背离和平宪法中“不保有陆海空及其他战力”规定，正式成立了陆海空自卫队。2014年，安倍晋三政府解禁集体自卫权，使自卫队突破“专守防卫”的限制。日本此举进一步降低了发动战争或主动介入国际武装冲突的门槛，受到国际社会指责。然而，时任美国国防部长哈格尔对此表态称，“美国鼓励并且支持这样的努力”。

The US has been actively promoting the upgrading of its military alliance with Japan. In 2024, Washington and Tokyo announced what they called the largest upgrade of the Japan-US security treaty in more than six decades, transforming the alliance from a defensive partnership characterized by US dominance and Japan's subordination into a military alliance that is both offensive and defensive, granting Japan greater military authority. The role of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) has shifted from providing logistical support to US forces to assuming a more offensive posture. In March this year, Japan's Ministry of Defense established a new Joint Operations Command, marking a new stage of deeper integration in Japan-US military coordination.

积极推动美日军事同盟关系升级。2024年，美日宣布对《日美安保条约》进行“60余年来最大规模的升级”，将美日关系定位从“美主日从”的防御性同盟升级为“攻守兼备”的军事同盟，赋予了日本更大的军事权限。日本自卫队的定位从向美军提供后勤支援的辅助角色变得更具攻击性。今年3月，日本防卫省新设“统合作战司令部”，标志着美日军事协同进入深度绑定新阶段。

The US has been enhancing Japan's military capabilities through the sale and deployment of advanced weapons. In recent years, the US has provided Japan with a range of advanced weaponry, significantly expanding the operational scope and offensive capabilities of the JSDF. In 2023, the US military established a new Marine Littoral Regiment in Okinawa, equipped with high-performance systems such as the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and MQ-9 Reaper drones. In 2024, Washington and Tokyo signed a contract under which the US will deliver approximately 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles, each with a range of up to 1,600 kilometers, to Japan between fiscal years 2025 and 2027. This January, the US State Department further approved the sale of a new batch of JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles to be mounted on Japan's F-35A and F-15J fighter jets. At the same time, the US has assisted Japan in converting its aircraft carriers and has jointly developed new platforms such as loyal-wingman drones and advanced interceptors against hypersonic weapons.

出售和部署先进武器提升日本军事能力。近年来，美国向日本提供了一系列先进武器装备，使日本自卫队的作战范围和攻击能力大幅提升。2023年，美军在日本冲绳组建新型“濒海作战团”，并配备美国海军陆战队远征舰艇拦截系统和MQ-9“死神”无人机等高性能装备。2024年，美日正式签订合同，计划在2025财年至2027财年期间，美国向日本交付约400枚射程达1600公里的“战斧”巡航导弹。今年1月，美国国务院又批准向日本出售新一批可搭载在F-35A、F-15J战斗机上的JASSM-ER空射巡航导弹。与此同时，美国还帮助日本进行航母改造，并与日本共同研发无人僚机、可拦截高超声速武器的新型导弹等装备。

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The flames and smoke of Pearl Harbor over 80 years ago, remain vivid in historical memory, yet Washington continues to "loosen the shackles" for Japan's militarism. What may appear as a short-term gain for the US is, in reality, nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst.

今年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年。80多年前珍珠港的战火和硝烟仍历历在目，美国却一再为日本军国主义“松绑”，看似短期获益，实则是饮鸩止渴。

Japan's ambition to become a major power decides that it would not remain forever a mere strategic pawn of the US. Once militarism is revived, Washington will find it increasingly difficult to rein in Tokyo. Eventually, the US would nurture a power that could ultimately turn against itself. More importantly, the US indulgence of Japan's military expansion is deeply undermining the regional security architecture and could even trigger a dangerous arms race. Both the US and Japan should take history as a mirror, draw profound lessons from the past, avoid backsliding into dangerous precedents, and take concrete actions that contribute to regional peace and stability.

日本的大国野心使其并不甘于永远充当美国的战略棋子，一旦军国主义复活，美国将很难驾驭控制。届时，美国将不得不吞下养虎为患的恶果。更为重要的是，美国纵容日本的扩军行为，正在深度撕裂地区安全架构，甚至引发地区军备竞赛。美日双方应以史为鉴，深刻汲取历史教训，切勿开历史倒车，多做有利于地区和平稳定的事。

(The author is from the National University of Defense Technology)

（作者单位：国防科技大学）