A Chinese defense spokesperson warned on Friday against Japan's accelerating remilitarization under the guise of promoting its defense industry, saying such moves pose risks to regional and global peace and stability.
Chen Xi, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to reports that Japan plans to make a "virtuous cycle between defense and the economy" a key pillar of its revised national security documents, signaling a major shift in the country's postwar defense policy.
Chen said the move was a smokescreen used by Japan's ruling authorities to accelerate remilitarization under the pretext of strengthening the country through its defense industry.
Before World War II, Japan's military-industrial complex became deeply embedded in its economy, influenced national decision-making and supported military expansion, serving as a major driving force behind Japan's aggression abroad, Chen said.
He warned that right-wing forces in Japan are abandoning the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy, reviving its military-industrial complex and accelerating the militarization of its economy and society.
Such developments pose systemic risks to the security and well-being of the Japanese people, as well as to global peace and stability, he said.
Chen urged the international community to remain highly vigilant against Japan's attempts to revive its "war machine" and return to the path of military expansion, calling for joint efforts to safeguard the postwar international order.
