By Ding Duo
Japan's neo-militarism has made one reckless move after another. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) dispatched more than 1,000 personnel to participate in the US-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercise, marking the first time since WWII that Japan has deployed a formed combat force to the Philippines for military drills. The Japanese government also formally revised the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and their implementation guidelines, announcing a major relaxation of restrictions on defense equipment exports. As a defeated country in WWII, Japan should have strictly honored its commitment to peace and drawn lessons from history. Instead, it is now vigorously advancing the outward expansion of its military power. This series of dangerous moves has seriously undermined regional peace and stability and constitutes an open provocation against the postwar international order.
In 2022, the Japanese government formally adopted the National Security Strategy (NSS), the National Defense Strategy (NDS), and the Defense Buildup Program (DBP), collectively known as the three national security documents. Since Sanae Takaichi took office, Japan has accelerated military expansion, sharply increased defense spending, moved to revise the three security documents, deployed long-range missiles with so-called "enemy base strike capability," and even attempted to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
Japan has significantly loosened restrictions on arms exports, expanding the framework to allow, in principle, the transfer of almost all defense equipment, while using excuses such as a "severe security environment" and "mutual support among partner countries" as cover. On the surface, this approach still carries the banner of an "exclusively defense-oriented" principle, but in reality, it pursues military expansion in the name of peace, continuously hollowing out the postwar peace framework.
The harmful consequences generated by Japan's risky moves under its neo-militarism are already becoming evident. First, Japan is openly breaking through the clear constraints imposed by the postwar international order on its military development, downplaying the legal and moral responsibilities that a defeated country should bear. This has seriously undermined the foundations of the postwar international order, forcing the international community to remain highly vigilant against the real risk of Japan repeating historical mistakes and once again becoming a source of instability in East Asia. Second, continuous military adventurism is fueling the arrogance of Japan's domestic far-right forces. Right-leaning public discourse is increasingly suppressing rational anti-war voices, while militarist thinking is resurfacing, posing grave threats to regional peace. Third, Japan is deepening military alignment with certain regional countries while also engaging in cross-regional coordination with NATO, continuously importing instability and uncertainty into East Asia, significantly raising the risks of regional confrontation and conflict, and undermining the broader picture of regional peace and stability.
More alarming is that Takaichi recently offered a ritual offering and a monetary offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A WWII war criminals are enshrined. Yasukuni Shrine has long been a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism in launching wars of aggression abroad. This move reflects Japan's serious deviation in its understanding of history and runs counter to the basic consensus of the international community regarding the history of aggression, fully exposing its deeply rooted flawed historical view.
On one hand, Japan exaggerates so-called "external threats" and creates an atmosphere of tension; on the other hand, it strengthens external military intervention through joint exercises and defense exports. The essence of this approach is to use external pretexts to remove all restraints on its own military expansion. As a defeated country in WWII, Japan bears the obligation of reflection and restraint. What Japan is doing today is a blatant betrayal of that obligation and a brutal trampling of that safeguard.
History offers a clear warning: Japan's militarist expansion in the past brought unspeakable disasters to Asian countries and ultimately forced Japan itself to suffer bitter consequences. As a defeated country in WWII, Japan should have reflected on its past. Instead, it is determined to break through the constraints of the postwar system, continuously advancing military adventurism and provoking regional confrontation. This will not only undermine the development achievements Japan has made over the past decades since the war, but also constitutes a serious challenge to the postwar international order.
All countries that cherish peace in the Asia-Pacific should maintain a clear understanding of Japan's neo-militarism and must never ignore or tolerate it. Any military adventurism that attempts to challenge the postwar order and undermine regional stability will inevitably be opposed by regional countries and is doomed to end in failure.
(The author is director of the Research Center for International and Regional Issues, research fellow of National Institute for South China Sea Studies)
Editor's note: Originally published on 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.