China's Defense Ministry on Saturday urged the international community to firmly oppose Japan's reckless moves toward neo-militarism, in response to recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
China's Defense Ministry, through spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang, called on the international community during an online news briefing on Saturday to remain vigilant against and resolutely oppose Japan's reckless moves toward neo-militarism. The remarks responded to recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who claimed that China is intensifying attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea, while expanding and stepping up military activities in areas surrounding Japan. She stated that these actions have created the most complex and severe security environment for Japan since World War II.
Takaichi said the Japanese government would revise its three security documents this year and accelerate discussions on amending the principles governing the export of military hardware.
Zhang emphasized that China's military operations are to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and security interests, fully in compliance with international and domestic laws, and entirely legitimate and justified. "We need to point out that history has not been forgotten," he said, noting that Japan once used the idea of its survival being threatened as a pretext to launch wars of aggression, committing heinous crimes against its Asian neighbors and the wider world.
The spokesperson accused right-wing forces in Japan of resorting to old tricks, clamoring about so-called external threats to deceive and mislead the public, create excuses for military expansion, and pursue a hidden political agenda. "The international community should remain highly vigilant and resolutely oppose Japan's reckless moves towards neo-militarism, and join hands in upholding the victorious outcome of World War II and the post-war international order," Zhang said. He urged Japan not to barrel down the wrong path or attempt to reverse the wheel of history: "Otherwise, it is doomed to suffer a speedier and greater defeat."
The statement highlights ongoing tensions between China and Japan, centered on regional security and historical issues.
