The Ally Who Gifted Billions To India Just Gave China A Sleepless Night

India.com

a day ago

New Delhi: The country that once gifted India a multi-billion-dollar lifeline has just rattled Asia's biggest military power. Japan, India's closest strategic ally in the East, has jolted China wide awake with a powerful signal from Mount Fuji. Not words. Not warnings. But missiles.
In a stunning display of military precision, Japan test-fired long-range anti-ship and hypersonic missiles during a live-fire drill near Mount Fuji. The event, part of an annual military exercise, was meant to signal readiness. But the fallout went far beyond Japanese borders.
By June 11 morning, the Chinese military's official newspaper, PLA Daily, had fired its own salvo, this time in words. It accused Japan of abandoning its pacifist past and dangerously redrawing the region's balance of power. The report warned that the extended range of these new Japanese missiles could 'threaten surrounding regions' and questioned whether Tokyo had just violated its own post-WWII constitution.
The Chinese fear runs deeper. The newspaper did not mince words and called Japan's move a 'strategic threat'. It alleged Tokyo is secretly preparing for a first-strike capability. The article even suggested that Japan intentionally avoided sensitive zones like Okinawa during the test to escape global scrutiny.
Drafted under U.S. guidance after its WWII defeat, Japan's constitution forbids it from maintaining aggressive military capabilities. But recent years have seen Tokyo steadily expand its defense preparedness. China says the missile tests are proof that Japan is shifting from defense to offense and dragging Asia into a new arms race.
What exactly did Japan fire?
According to the Japanese media, the military tested upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles and the futuristic Hypersonic Velocity Gliding Projectiles (HVGPs). The weapons are not for show. The Type-12s are headed for Japan's southern Kyushu Island within range of China.
Meanwhile, the HVGPs are likely to be stationed in the north, in Hokkaido, potentially aimed at another rising threat that is Russia.
For India, this is more than just geopolitics. Japan has long been one of New Delhi's most reliable friends. From low-interest infrastructure loans to crucial technology partnerships, Japan has supported India's rise with both trust and capital. The iconic Bullet Train project in India, for instance, is being built on a 50-year loan of Rs 88,000 crore at just 1% interest – with repayments starting only after 15 years.
But now, that same 'generous friend' is sharpening its own claws.
Tokyo's move comes amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, where China's muscle-flexing has alarmed most of its neighbors. With Japan now flexing back, and India already locked in its own standoff with China – a new axis of resistance is forming.
Missiles may have flown over Mount Fuji. But the real tremors were felt in Beijing.