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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US Ally Calls China Greatest Threat
Japan has raised concerns over China's expanding military presence and the shifting balance of power in the Asia-Pacific. China's actions "present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge," the Japanese Defense Ministry wrote in its annual white paper. The report comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes to complete the People's Liberation Army's modernization by 2035 and seeks to replace the United States as the region's dominant military power. China possesses the world's largest navy, a vast missile arsenal, and is rapidly building up its nuclear capabilities. China's increasing coast guard patrols near the disputed, Tokyo-administered Senkaku Islands, and continued threats toward neighboring Taiwan have prompted Japan to reinterpret its postwar constitution to allow for the collective self-defense of allies, boost defense spending, and pursue closer cooperation with its defense treaty partner, the U.S. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon via email for comment. "The international community is facing its greatest trial since World War II and entering a new era of crisis," Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said in the white paper presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday. While the 534-page report also highlighted Russia's military activities and North Korea's frequent missile launches and advancing nuclear weapons program, it was China that was described as the preeminent threat. "Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its ally, like-minded countries, and others," the authors stated. China's navy has been operating farther afield and near Japanese territory with increasing frequency, the report said, noting that Chinese navy warships passing between islands in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa have tripled in number between 2021 and 2024. The defense ministry expressed "grave concern" over recent encroachments by China, citing the Chinese spy plane that entered Japanese airspace, as well as the aircraft carrier Liaoning's passage through the narrow gap separating Okinawa's Yonaguni island and Taiwan in October. Also featured in the report is the near-daily presence of Chinese coast guard ships near the disputed Senkaku Islands-known as the Diaoyu Islands in China-which the report characterized as a unilateral attempt to change the status quo. The report drew parallels with China's expansive activities in the South China Sea, where Chinese maritime forces have drawn fire for their increasing activities within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. China's strengthening security ties with Russia, including joint bomber flights and warship patrols near Japan, described as shows of force, continue to be a source of concern. As for Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy China claims as its territory and has threatened to unify by force if necessary, the defense ministry warned that the military balance between the two sides is shifting rapidly in Beijing's favor. The paper also expressed growing concern over Beijing's increasing use of gray-zone activities-coercive actions that stop short of war-and warned that military pressure, including potential blockades, could be used to threaten Taipei. Although the U.S. remains Taiwan's primary arms supplier under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, Washington has maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding whether it would intervene militarily. Many analysts believe that Japan, which views a Chinese takeover of Taiwan as an existential threat to its national security, would likely participate in a U.S.-led counteroffensive if conflict erupted. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, in the white paper: "Under these circumstances, fundamentally strengthening its defense capabilities, including the ability to carry out counterstrike operations, and is making steady progress on various measures, including securing and strengthening the necessary defense budget. "At the same time, Japan is working to further deepen its alliance with the United States, which serves as the cornerstone of its security, and to expand security cooperation with like-minded countries and others." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Tuesday: "The white paper reflects a wrong perception of China, interferes in China's internal affairs, and peddles the false 'China threat.' China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and has protested to national defense policy is defensive in nature, and our defense development and military activities are legitimate and justified." U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, on X: "An important, clear-eyed strategic assessment from our close ally Japan. We at DOD stand ready to work closely with Tokyo to adjust to this new era and to follow President Trump's guidance to make our alliances stronger, more equitable, and thus sustainable." Nakatani predicted that great power competition between Washington and Beijing will likely continue to intensify. After decades of keeping its defense budget at about 1 percent of GDP, Japan has begun increasing spending in recent years with the goal of reaching 2 percent by 2027. In March, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pushed back at Colby's statement that Japan should raise defense spending to 3 percent of GDP, saying such decisions would not be made "at the direction of any other country." 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Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Ally Calls China Greatest Threat
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Japan has raised concerns over China's expanding military presence and the shifting balance of power in the Asia-Pacific. China's actions "present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge," the Japanese Defense Ministry wrote in its annual white paper. Why It Matters The report comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes to complete the People's Liberation Army's modernization by 2035 and seeks to replace the United States as the region's dominant military power. China possesses the world's largest navy, a vast missile arsenal, and is rapidly building up its nuclear capabilities. China's increasing coast guard patrols near the disputed, Tokyo-administered Senkaku Islands, and continued threats toward neighboring Taiwan have prompted Japan to reinterpret its postwar constitution to allow for the collective self-defense of allies, boost defense spending, and pursue closer cooperation with its defense treaty partner, the U.S. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon via email for comment. What To Know "The international community is facing its greatest trial since World War II and entering a new era of crisis," Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said in the white paper presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday. While the 534-page report also highlighted Russia's military activities and North Korea's frequent missile launches and advancing nuclear weapons program, it was China that was described as the preeminent threat. "Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its ally, like-minded countries, and others," the authors stated. China's navy has been operating farther afield and near Japanese territory with increasing frequency, the report said, noting that Chinese navy warships passing between islands in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa have tripled in number between 2021 and 2024. Surface-to-ship missiles carried past Mount Fuji during a live-fire exercise by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in Gotemba on June 8, 2025. Surface-to-ship missiles carried past Mount Fuji during a live-fire exercise by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in Gotemba on June 8, defense ministry expressed "grave concern" over recent encroachments by China, citing the Chinese spy plane that entered Japanese airspace, as well as the aircraft carrier Liaoning's passage through the narrow gap separating Okinawa's Yonaguni island and Taiwan in October. Also featured in the report is the near-daily presence of Chinese coast guard ships near the disputed Senkaku Islands—known as the Diaoyu Islands in China—which the report characterized as a unilateral attempt to change the status quo. The report drew parallels with China's expansive activities in the South China Sea, where Chinese maritime forces have drawn fire for their increasing activities within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. China's strengthening security ties with Russia, including joint bomber flights and warship patrols near Japan, described as shows of force, continue to be a source of concern. As for Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy China claims as its territory and has threatened to unify by force if necessary, the defense ministry warned that the military balance between the two sides is shifting rapidly in Beijing's favor. The paper also expressed growing concern over Beijing's increasing use of gray-zone activities—coercive actions that stop short of war—and warned that military pressure, including potential blockades, could be used to threaten Taipei. Although the U.S. remains Taiwan's primary arms supplier under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, Washington has maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding whether it would intervene militarily. Many analysts believe that Japan, which views a Chinese takeover of Taiwan as an existential threat to its national security, would likely participate in a U.S.-led counteroffensive if conflict erupted. What People Are Saying Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, in the white paper: "Under these circumstances, fundamentally strengthening its defense capabilities, including the ability to carry out counterstrike operations, and is making steady progress on various measures, including securing and strengthening the necessary defense budget. "At the same time, Japan is working to further deepen its alliance with the United States, which serves as the cornerstone of its security, and to expand security cooperation with like-minded countries and others." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Tuesday: "The white paper reflects a wrong perception of China, interferes in China's internal affairs, and peddles the false 'China threat.' China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and has protested to national defense policy is defensive in nature, and our defense development and military activities are legitimate and justified." U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, on X: "An important, clear-eyed strategic assessment from our close ally Japan. We at DOD stand ready to work closely with Tokyo to adjust to this new era and to follow President Trump's guidance to make our alliances stronger, more equitable, and thus sustainable." What Happens Next Nakatani predicted that great power competition between Washington and Beijing will likely continue to intensify. After decades of keeping its defense budget at about 1 percent of GDP, Japan has begun increasing spending in recent years with the goal of reaching 2 percent by 2027. In March, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pushed back at Colby's statement that Japan should raise defense spending to 3 percent of GDP, saying such decisions would not be made "at the direction of any other country."
Egypt Independent
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
China, North Korea and Russia represent biggest security challenge since World War II, Japan says
Seoul, South Korea CNN — Japan is facing its most severe security environment since World War II as three potential adversaries in East Asia – China, Russia and North Korea – ramp up military activities in the region, the country's defense minister said Tuesday. 'The existing order of world peace is being seriously challenged, and Japan finds itself in the most severe and complex security environment of the post-war era,' Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said in an introduction to the ministry's annual defense white paper. China's military activities present 'an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge' to Japan, the report said. Beijing is 'rapidly enhancing its military capability in a qualitative and quantitative manner' while 'intensifying' activities around the region, Nakatani said, specifically mentioning the Senkaku Islands, a chain in the East China Sea that Tokyo controls but which is also claimed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyus. An aerial photo shows Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 66 (top) trying to approach a Japanese fishing boat (bottom) as Japan Coast Guard vessel Ishigaki cruises next to the Chinese ship, in the East China Sea, near what are known as the Senkaku isles in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, in this photo taken on April 23, 2013. Kyodo/Reuters The 34-page document gives a dire outlook on the future of the region, especially on the rivalry between China and the United States, Tokyo's most important ally. 'The global balance of power is shifting dramatically and competition among states continues. In particular, the inter-state competition between the United States and China is likely to intensify even further in future,' the white paper says. The paper says escalating Chinese military activity around the democratically controlled island of Taiwan poses a threat. 'China seeks to create a fait accompli where the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is operating, and improve its actual combat capabilities,' it says. It cites a similar situation in the South China Sea and says PLA actions there are a legitimate Japanese concern because Tokyo has major sea lanes running through the waterway. Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry, said Wednesday that Japan was 'hyping up the 'China threat,' and grossly interfering in China's internal affairs.' 'The Japanese side is fabricating false narratives to find excuses for loosening its military constraints,' Jiang said, referring to Japan's strict post-war constitution, which limits its military forces to self-defense only. And Japan's invocation of World War II is controversial in a region where fissures over Tokyo's devastating militarism during the period sour relations with many of its neighbors to this day. 'We urge the Japanese side to deeply learn from history, cease slandering and accusing China,' Jiang said. But the Japanese paper didn't only focus on Beijing's unilateral actions. A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken on September 2012. Kyodo/Reuters Russia and North Korea As part of its expanded activities, the PLA is increasing cooperation with Russian armed forces, including joint bomber flights and naval patrols near Japan, the paper says. 'These repeated joint activities are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan,' it says. The report says that in the past fiscal year Japanese fighter jets scrambled 704 times, including 464 times in response to approaching Chinese aircraft and 237 times for Russian aircraft, a rate of almost two scrambles a day. Russia's three-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine, along with the buildup in the Russian military that has come with it, is a worry for Japan, especially because of its status as a key US ally, the report says. 'The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable,' it says, and warns that a Ukraine-like war is possible in the region – without specifically mentioning where that might occur. The report says some of Russia's newest military hardware has been deployed to the Pacific. Moscow has added troops, missiles and warplanes to islands north of Japan, which the Soviet Union took toward the end of World War II, but which Japan says are sovereign Japanese territory illegally occupied now by Russia. North Korea, meanwhile, is further developing nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them, the report says. Pyongyang's ballistic missiles, believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads, can cover the entirety of the Japanese archipelago, it says. 'North Korea's military activities are posing an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan's security than ever before,' the paper says. The Japanese paper echoed many of the concerns the head of the US military's Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, voiced in a posture paper in April. 'China continues to pursue unprecedented military modernization and increasingly aggressive behavior that threatens the U.S. homeland, our allies, and our partners,' Paparo said. The US commander also said the deepening cooperation between China and Russia as well as North Korea presents an increasing threat in the Pacific. 'Together, these countries' growing ties create a complex, interconnected challenge to U.S. national security and regional stability,' Paparo said. CNN's Joyce Jiang contributed to this report.
Japan Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan starts deploying Ospreys at new base to beef up southwest defense
By MARI YAMAGUCHI The Japanese army on Wednesday began deploying its fleet of V-22 Ospreys on a newly opened permanent base in southwestern Japan, in the country's latest move to strengthen its defense as tensions in the region grow. The first of the fleet of 17 Ospreys arrived at its new home base of Camp Saga in Saga Prefecture, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said, with the rest to come by mid-August. The move is part of Japan's accelerating military buildup, especially in the southwest, meant as a deterrence to China 's increasingly assertive maritime actions in the area. Japan plans to operate the Ospreys more closely with the amphibious rapid deployment brigade at Ainoura, in the nearby naval town of Sasebo, as part of the plan to reinforce the defense of remote southwestern islands, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters Tuesday. 'The security environment surrounding Japan has been increasingly severe, and it is our pressing task to strengthen our island defense capabilities,' he said. The use of the V-22 remains controversial in Japan, especially in the south, due to a series of accidents involving the aircraft. Dozens of protesters stood outside Camp Saga, chanting, 'Get out Osprey!' One of them, Osamu Rikihisa, said, 'You never know when another Osprey crashes again.' In November 2023, a U.S. Air Force Osprey crashed off Japan's southern coast, killing eight people. In October 2024, a Japanese army V-22 Osprey tilted and hit the ground while attempting to take off during a joint exercise with the U.S. military. An investigation found human error to be the cause. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in his election campaign speech Wednesday in Saga, said Ospreys are significantly superior to conventional helicopters and can 'bolster Japan's security and disaster relief operations.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Japan starts deploying Osprey fleet at a new base with an eye on China
The Japanese army on Wednesday began deploying its fleet of V-22 Ospreys on a newly opened permanent base in southwestern Japan, in the country's latest move to strengthen its defense as tensions in the region grow. The first of the fleet of 17 Ospreys arrived at its new home base of Camp Saga, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said, with the rest to come by mid-August. The move is part of Japan's accelerating military buildup, especially in the southwest, meant as a deterrence to China 's increasingly assertive maritime actions in the area. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Airlines Don't Want You to Know This Secret for Cheap Flight Cheaper Flights | search ads Read More Undo Japan plans to operate the Ospreys more closely with the amphibious rapid deployment brigade at Ainoura, in the nearby naval town of Sasebo, as part of the plan to reinforce the defense of remote southwestern islands, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters Tuesday. "The security environment surrounding Japan has been increasingly severe, and it is our pressing task to strengthen our island defense capabilities," he said. Live Events The use of the V-22 remains controversial in Japan, especially in the south, due to a series of accidents involving the aircraft. Dozens of protesters stood outside Camp Saga, chanting, "Get out Osprey!" One of them, Osamu Rikihisa, said, "You never know when another Osprey crashes again." In November 2023, a U.S. Air Force Osprey crashed off Japan's southern coast, killing eight people. In October 2024, a Japanese army V-22 Osprey tilted and hit the ground while attempting to take off during a joint exercise with the U.S. military. An investigation found human error to be the cause. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in his election campaign speech Wednesday in Saga, said Ospreys are significantly superior to conventional helicopters and can "bolster Japan's security and disaster relief operations."
