Japan refutes 'new militarism', accuses China of rapidly arming
"Think about it. There's a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled 'new militarism'?," said Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Sunday (May 31) refuted accusations of "new militarism" by Tokyo and criticised China for rapidly increasing military capabilities without transparency, underlining deepening tensions between the two nations.
China continues to increase its defence spending at a high level, Koizumi said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, adding: "China's external approach and military activities are matters of serious concern for Japan and the international community at the same time."
Refuting allegations that Japan was embarking on new militarism, he said: "Think about it. There's a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled 'new militarism'?"
"Since the end of the Second World war, Japan has consistently respected international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, and has made sincere efforts to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order," he added.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
In May, China's foreign ministry called on Asia-Pacific countries to be vigilant and "jointly resist the reckless actions of Japan's neo-militarism".
Ties between Japan and China sank to their worst level in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response.
China views Taiwan as its own territory, over the objections of Taipei's government.
Koizumi said he felt "sad" about not being able to meet his Chinese counterpart at the dialogue, Asia's premier defence forum.
"But again, we keep the door open to talks. I remain committed to communicating with the countries concerned, including China for the peace and stability in the region and of the world."
For the second year running, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun has given the Singapore security meeting a miss, skipping opportunities to meet his counterparts.
Koizumi said Japan is "determined" to play a new role in defence equipment cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and aims to tangibly strengthen deterrence in the region.
In April, Tokyo unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app