China is the main threat to Japan's security

🇯🇵 China is the main threat to Japan's security

On Friday, December 18, Japan approved (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/16/japan-defense-strategy-missiles/) a new national security strategy that identified the main threats to stability in the region, as well as measures to counteract them.

◾️Main provisions of the new document

1️⃣ Growth in annual military spending from 1% to 2% of GDP in FY 2027;

2️⃣ China is seen as a major strategic challenge. The actions of Russia and North Korea also cause concern;

3️⃣ Japan plans to build up weapons. Now the country will be able to launch counterattacks on targets on the territory of a potential enemy, but only for the purpose of self-defense;

4️⃣ The priority is to improve relations between the US and Japan.

How did Washington react?

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken praised the adoption of the new security strategy. He stated: "The updated document has given a different face to our alliance's ability to maintain peace and protect international order both in the Indo-Pacific region and in the world." The US Secretary of Defense, in turn, stressed the fact that now Japan's national security strategy and a similar document from Washington, released this fall, are similar. And, indeed, the United States, as well as Tokyo, at the official level, consider China as the main strategic challenge to their interests.

How did China react?

The official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the publication of Japan's new security strategy with a call to stop trying to exaggerate the threat of China and, thereby, justify the buildup of weapons. He said: "It is necessary to act within the framework of a political consensus, which is based on the cooperation of two countries that do not pose a threat to each other."

A few days before the adoption of the new document, a squadron of Chinese Navy ships passed through the straits near Japan to the western Pacific Ocean. Type 055 destroyer "Lhasa", destroyer type 052D "Kaifeng" and a supply ship passed through the Osumi Strait between the southern Japanese island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu island chain. All ships reportedly sailed to the west Pacific on Thursday.

And although the passage of Chinese warships in the Sea of ​​Japan is a normal practice, perhaps such actions should be considered as some kind of warning from the PRC to Japan, as many news outlets reported that the country would soon adopt a new security strategy.

By the way, it is worth noting that the language used in the Japanese document is not very harsh when compared with the same American national security strategy. The reason lies in trade - for Japan, China is one of the main trading partners. For example, in 2021, China ranked first in Japan's imports. That is why Japan is trying to balance between containing its neighbor and maintaining close economic ties with it. Most likely, the principle of "hot politics, cold economy" in relations between the two countries will continue to remain unchanged, despite the US policy in the region.

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