Beijing firmly opposes Japan’s defense white paper

China voiced firm opposition on Tuesday to Japan's newly released defense white paper, accusing Tokyo of hyping up the so-called "China threat" to justify expansion of its own military capabilities.

Chen Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said the white paper is filled with false narratives and exaggerates a so-called "security crisis in the surrounding region".

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

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

Japan released on Tuesday the roughly 600-page white paper, titled "Defense of Japan 2026", which continued to portray the regional security environment as "increasingly severe".

The report claimed China's military developments "present an unprecedented and the greatest challenge" for Japan, and alleged that the Chinese mainland's military activities around Taiwan have become increasingly frequent. 

The white paper retained the wording of its 2025 edition, claiming that the international community is facing its greatest challenge since World War II and has entered a new era of crisis. 

In response, Chen said Japan's ruling authorities have continued to uphold the banner of an "exclusively defense-oriented policy" while accelerating revisions to its 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 for 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.

Chen 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," he said.

The spokesman 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".  

Experts based in Japan said the country's continued military buildup has become a source of regional instability. Makoto Ito, director of the Japan Institute of Constitutional Law, told China Daily that Japan's security environment would improve if it remained committed to diplomatic and security stances that reassure its neighbors.

Ito noted that Japan's security and defense policies in recent years have deviated from its pacifist Constitution. "And yet, these policies continue to be advanced and are communicated to the public through official documents such as the defense white paper," he said.

Kumiko Haba, a distinguished professor at Josai International University in Tokyo, told China Daily that the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is moving in an extremely dangerous direction, warning that it could evolve into a government prepared to wage war.

Haba said the current Liberal Democratic Party government has prioritized strengthening military capabilities, reopening debate on the three nonnuclear principles, expanding the defense industry and seeking to reinforce the Japan-United States alliance.

Japan's defense spending has been rising steadily, and it is already moving ahead of schedule toward the target of reaching 2 percent of the nation's GDP.

In March, Japan deployed its land-based Type 25 anti-ship missile in Kumamoto prefecture. With an upgraded 1,000-kilometer range, the missile far exceeds Japan's territorial defense requirements and possesses clear offensive capabilities.

In April, Japan fully lifted restrictions on the export of lethal weapons. Haba said that Japan is seeking to align itself with the US' agenda by abandoning its identity as a peace-oriented country and moving toward participation in war in pursuit of a new phase of national development.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn