China Poses Unprecedented Strategic Challenge: Japan In Its New Security Policy

Japan will describe China as an “unprecedented strategic challenge” in a new national security policy set to be approved as early as this week.

The new strategy, which is expected to be approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet on Friday, also outlines plans for Japan to acquire longer-range missiles, including developing its own hypersonic weapons, as part of a radical upgrade of its defence capabilities.

The shift was precipitated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan, including Chinese missiles launched earlier this year near Japanese islands and North Korea's increased missile launches.

Japan is cautious in its use of language when describing the security concerns posed by its largest trading partner China, though it has used the word “threat” in Defence Ministry documents in reference to North Korea.

The government says it is becoming difficult to deal with the situation simply by strengthening the country's existing missile defence network, referring to a “remarkable” build-up of missile capability in the region.

The revisions to three documents governing Japan's security and defence strategy call for the country to acquire “counter-strike capability,” allowing it to target an enemy's military facilities, marking a watershed moment for a nation bound by a pacifist constitution since 1947.

According to the documents, the government intends to purchase Tomahawk missiles from Lockheed Martin for this purpose. The missile has a range of more than 1,250 kilometres (780 miles), which means it could be used to attack naval bases on China's and Russia's east coasts.

Japan also intends to obtain sufficient supplies of missiles, including those developed in-house, with ranges long enough to strike military assets in its three nuclear-armed neighbours, which have been a source of concern in Tokyo, over the next decade.

With its new strategy in place, the government is considering revising the defence guidelines that govern its military cooperation with its only formal treaty ally, the United States, according to Kyodo News, citing government sources.

According to the agency, Kishida may raise the issue during a visit to the United States that the government is planning for next month.

According to the documents, Japan will maintain its “exclusively defensive” posture as well as its nuclear-weapons ban.

Nonetheless, China has made its objections to the wording in the new documents clear to Japan, stating that Beijing is committed to maintaining peace and stability.

“The Japanese side ignores facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Wednesday. Creating a ‘China threat’ to justify a military buildup is doomed to fail, Wenbin added.

Kishida has already announced plans to increase defence spending by roughly 60 per cent over the next five years, to USD 315 billion. According to Kyodo News, his ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to agree on a plan to raise taxes after wrangling over how to fund the move but will avoid setting a date for a move that is likely to be unpopular with the public.

In comparison, the South Korean government intends to increase annual defence spending to more than USD 53 billion by 2026.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China will spend an estimated USD 293 billion on its military in 2021.

The strategy will also review rules governing the transfer of defence equipment, as Japan launches a three-way project with the United Kingdom and Italy to develop a next-generation stealth fighter jet and seeks to support its domestic defence industry.