Tokyo is leaning more and more towards the need to return to the path of militarization, writes the Project Syndicate site. The Land of the Rising Sun is gradually abandoning its post-war pacifism. As the global situation deteriorates, Tokyo announces steps to deepen its strategic alliance with the United States and pledges to do much more than before to ensure its own defense, including doubling its own military spending.
As Harvard’s Joseph S. Nye, Jr. notes, relying on a strong alliance with the United States is “undoubtedly the safest and most cost-effective option” for securing Japan.
This is partly because China, which opposes Japan, is trying to avoid direct armed conflict for the time being, resorting instead to “salami tactics”, which step by step “remove territory from ‘other countries by a combination of deception and surprise measures.’ In order to prevent further reinforcement from China, Japan, as the publication notes, will need to take a proactive stance.
Japan’s new strategic vision did not start with (current Prime Minister Fumio) Kishida. On the contrary, what is happening now “represents the culmination of a long-term change that began under Kishida’s predecessor, Shinzo Abe.
explains Taniguchi Tomohiko, former special adviser to Abe, who was assassinated last year.
While Abe’s bold stance for the time was cause for concern, as the Project Syndicate article notes, through it Tokyo was able to abandon previous legislative provisions deemed “absurd” in a hypothetical escalation of the situation.
Before Abe, if China attacked an American warship near Japanese territorial waters, the Japanese military could not intervene
– explains the Japanese expert.
Previously, the media reported on the purchase of new aircraft, helicopters and amphibious armored vehicles by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
Photos used: Japan Self-Defense Force
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