Japan said on Friday that China’s current external stance and military activities have become a “serious concern for Japan and the international community and present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge.” “China has been increasing its defense budget at a rapid pace for an extended period of time,” Japan Defense Ministry said in an annual white paper presented at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet “China has been extensively and rapidly enhancing its military capability in a qualitative and quantitative manner.” the paper added.
The Japanese government is also aware of “china’s focus on its naval and air forces as well as its nuclear and missile forces.” The 2023 defense white paper also pointed out to China’s capability to possess 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, and its increasing military pressure on Taiwan.
The white paper said that Russia’s military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, together with its strategic coordination with China, are of strong security concern. “The repeated joint bomber flights and joint navigations of vessels by Russia and China are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan and are of grave concern from the perspective of the security of Japan and the region,” it said.
Meanwhile, the ministry expressed concern over North Korea’s rapid progress in nuclear and missile development, saying, the country has the ability to attack Japan with nuclear weapons fitted to ballistic missiles. “North Korea’s military activities pose an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan’s national security than ever before,” the paper added.
The defense paper stressed that Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II, and the country needs to squarely face the grim reality and fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
