Japan rejects China’s accusations of “new militarism”

Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has rejected Beijing’s accusations that Tokyo is pursuing renewed militarisation, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, The Guardian reports.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said, arguing that it is China that is expanding its military capabilities without sufficient transparency, an activity that raises serious concerns in Tokyo.

Koizumi noted that Japan has neither nuclear weapons nor strategic bombers, unlike China. “And yet, Japan is labelled (as) ‘new militarism’. Isn’t it strange?” he said.

He added that Japan will continue to steadily strengthen its defence capabilities with a high level of transparency, including the development of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cyber defence, and space technologies.

“Japan’s past as a peace-loving nation has been valued by the region and by [the] international community. This fact will not be shaken by false claims, because it is a fact,” the minister said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada