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Japan identifies China as bigger military threat than Russia | World news | The Guardian
guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 December 2010 16.57 GMT
Japan should refocus its defence strategy on the rise of China and not on the cold war threat of Russia, according to new guidelines announced today.
The guidelines, which were approved by the cabinet, also call for a stronger alliance with the US Japan's biggest ally and expanded security networks with partners such as South Korea and Australia.
Japan will acquire new submarines and fighter jets, upgrade its missile defence capabilities and make its ground forces more mobile so that they can quickly respond to emergencies in south-west Japan.
While Japan has forces for self-defence, its pacifist constitution, drafted by the US after Japan's defeat in the second world war, bar it from sending troops into combat overseas.
The guidelines paint China as a bigger threat than Russia and say Japan is shifting its defence emphasis from the northern island of Hokkaido to islands in the south, such as Okinawa, and territories claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing that have recently led to diplomatic tensions.
The defence minister, Toshimi Kitazawa, said the plan would help Japan adapt to a "new, complex security environment". China immediately described the guidelines as "irresponsible".
The Japan-US alliance remains "indispensable" to Japan's security, the statement said, calling for stronger co-operation between the Japanese and the 47,000 US armed forces based in the country.
But it also noted a relative decline of America's strength and rise of emerging countries such as China and India. Japan should pursue its own efforts to enhance missile defence capabilities to protect itself from threats from China and North Korea, it said.
"We still have lots of tanks and ground self-defence forces on Hokkaido and we need to shift to the south-western islands," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity before the official release of the guidelines. The official said the goal was to "modernise our defence posture from our cold war days".
guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 December 2010 16.57 GMT
Japan should refocus its defence strategy on the rise of China and not on the cold war threat of Russia, according to new guidelines announced today.
The guidelines, which were approved by the cabinet, also call for a stronger alliance with the US Japan's biggest ally and expanded security networks with partners such as South Korea and Australia.
Japan will acquire new submarines and fighter jets, upgrade its missile defence capabilities and make its ground forces more mobile so that they can quickly respond to emergencies in south-west Japan.
While Japan has forces for self-defence, its pacifist constitution, drafted by the US after Japan's defeat in the second world war, bar it from sending troops into combat overseas.
The guidelines paint China as a bigger threat than Russia and say Japan is shifting its defence emphasis from the northern island of Hokkaido to islands in the south, such as Okinawa, and territories claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing that have recently led to diplomatic tensions.
The defence minister, Toshimi Kitazawa, said the plan would help Japan adapt to a "new, complex security environment". China immediately described the guidelines as "irresponsible".
The Japan-US alliance remains "indispensable" to Japan's security, the statement said, calling for stronger co-operation between the Japanese and the 47,000 US armed forces based in the country.
But it also noted a relative decline of America's strength and rise of emerging countries such as China and India. Japan should pursue its own efforts to enhance missile defence capabilities to protect itself from threats from China and North Korea, it said.
"We still have lots of tanks and ground self-defence forces on Hokkaido and we need to shift to the south-western islands," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity before the official release of the guidelines. The official said the goal was to "modernise our defence posture from our cold war days".
