Defense ministry slams Japan's defense white paper

A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman on Tuesday voiced firm opposition to Japan's newly released defense white paper, accusing Tokyo of hyping up the so-called "China threat" to justify easing restrictions on its military expansion.

Chen Xi, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said Japan's latest defense white paper is filled with false narratives, exaggerates a so-called "security crisis in the surrounding region" and hypes up the so-called "China threat".

Describing the move as "a thief crying 'stop thief'", Chen said the white paper serves as a pretext for Japan's own military expansion.

"We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly oppose this," he said.

Japan released its 2026 Defense White Paper on Tuesday, claiming that China's military developments "present an unprecedented and the greatest challenge". The document also alleged that the Chinese mainland's military activities around Taiwan have become increasingly frequent. It said Japan's surrounding security environment is facing the most severe and complex situation since the end of World War II.

In response, Chen said Japan's ruling authorities have continued to uphold the banner of an "exclusively defense-oriented policy" while accelerating revisions to three key security documents, steadily increasing defense spending and developing long-range strike capabilities.

Japan has also promoted the weaponization and militarization of space and portrayed the expansion of its defense industry as a driver of economic growth, Chen said. He added that Tokyo is attempting to embed military expansion and war preparations into the country's institutions, economy, industries and public discourse.

He warned that Japan's "new militarism" has become a growing concern, posing a serious challenge to the postwar international order and a genuine threat to regional peace and stability.

"The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and serves as the political foundation of China-Japan relations. It is a red line that cannot be crossed," Chen said.

He urged Japan to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, refrain from misleading the Japanese public and the international community, and avoid going further down the wrong path of "remilitarization".