By Li Ziyue and Chen Ze'an

Japan has intensified its diplomatic activities. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has received visiting foreign leaders in Japan, while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi have conducted overseas visits separately.

International commentary holds that through these diplomatic engagements, the Takaichi administration has been hyping the so-called Indo-Pacific narrative and exaggerating "regional security threats." Under such pretexts, Tokyo has sought to build exclusive blocs, accelerate arms exports, and push forward military expansion. These moves, widely seen as advancing Japan's "re-militarization," have raised heightened vigilance among countries in the region.

Risky calculations behind Japan's diplomatic moves

During her meeting with visiting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cited what she called a more severe strategic environment and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as among Japan, the US and the ROK.

In talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Takaichi promoted the so-called concept of "free and open Indo-Pacific region," explicitly proposing to advance joint training between the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the Italian military. She also sought to accelerate the trilateral project involving Japan, the UK and Italy to jointly develop a next-generation fighter aircraft.

Likewise, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also conducted diplomatic lobbying around the narrative of "free and open Indo-Pacific region" during visits to the Philippines and India. With the Philippines, he signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) with quasi-military alliance implications and pledged to support the construction of additional military facilities. In India, he advocated strengthening cooperation under the Quad framework involving Japan, the US, Australia and India.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi played up the so-called regional security threats in an apparent bid to justify Japan's efforts to expand its military buildup during his visit to the United States.

Indo-Pacific narrative fans bloc confrontation

In this series of diplomatic activities, Japanese officials have repeatedly raised the banner of the so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific region." The Indo-Pacific concept was first put forward by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and later evolved into the so-called narrative of "free and open Indo-Pacific region," which Japan has vigorously promoted in its diplomacy in recent years. At its core, it seeks to hype "regional security threats" as a pretext to strengthen cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region and with the so-called like-minded countries. In essence, it aims to build confrontational small blocs while justifying Japan's expansion of its military capabilities.

This underlying logic was clearly reflected in remarks made by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi during his visit to the US, including his speech at the Honolulu Defense Forum. He claimed that the Indo-Pacific region faces crises and that the regional military balance is undergoing dramatic and rapid changes, calling on all "like-minded countries" to take the so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific region" as a shared vision and to promote peace through strength. To that end, Japan would enhance its own capabilities, strengthen the Japan–US alliance, and expand networks of cooperation with relevant countries.

Japan's military expansion ambitions raise widespread alarm

Beyond promoting bloc confrontation diplomatically through the so-called narrative of "free and open Indo-Pacific region," the Japanese government has also accelerated military expansion by hyping "regional security threats" and a "severe security environment."

In the budget for fiscal 2026 approved by the Japanese government at the end of last year, defense spending reached 9.04 trillion yen, marking another record high. Since taking office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has brought forward the target of raising defense spending to two percent of the GDP by two years. Her administration has also pushed to revise the three national security documents, including the National Security Strategy, by the end of 2026. She has even sought to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and plans to further loosen restrictions on arms exports to stimulate the domestic defense industry.

Visionary people in Japan have pointed out that while the government claims to safeguard regional security, it is precisely Japan's moves toward re-militarization that pose serious threats to regional peace and stability. In the face of opposition from within Japan, from regional countries, and from the international community regarding its military trajectory, the Japanese government has shown neither reflection nor restraint. Instead, it has fabricated justifications to continue expanding its military, exporting lethal weapons, and advancing the agenda of right-wing forces seeking to revive militarism and return to a path of military expansion. Such actions undermine regional peace and stability and are bound to trigger vigilance and resistance from all peace-loving countries.

Editor's note: Originally published on paper.people.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.