Japan's new policy to counter rising China

Beijing describes defence guidelines as irresponsible

The new National Defence Program Guidelines are the biggest step yet in a decade-long shift away from cold war-era deployments of heavy tank and artillery units on the northern island of Hokkaido—to counter a now-vanished Soviet threat—and towards bolstering Japanese forces in the southern islands around Okinawa, where China’s navy has become a growing presence.

The new guidelines also used uncharacteristically strong language to warn of China’s rapidly modernising military, calling it “a matter of concern for the region and the international community.” China’s growing naval capabilities have been a particular concern in Japan since Beijing and Tokyo clashed diplomatically three months ago over uninhabited islands claimed by both nations but controlled by Japan. The islands are called the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

In Beijing, the foreign ministry criticised the new policy as “irresponsible” and suggested that it was based on a misunderstanding of China’s intentions. “China adheres to the road of peaceful development and pursues a defensive national defence policy,” Jiang Yu, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We have no intention to be a threat to anyone.”

The new policy called for increasing the number of Japan’s submarines to 22, while reducing the number of tanks by a third to about 400. It also called for creating more mobile forces.
The guidelines also called for increasing military cooperation with the United States, and other democracies in the region, including South Korea, Australia and India.