By AFP and Focus | 2026-06-02

SINGAPORE -- Japan's defense minister took a veiled swipe at China on May 31, pledging to keep strengthening the military despite Beijing's criticism of Tokyo's increasingly muscular security stance.

Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan has quickened its pivot toward a more proactive defense policy, further moving away, with U.S. encouragement, from the pacifist posture it adopted after World War II.

The shift has drawn frequent rebukes from Beijing, which accuses Tokyo of pursuing a reckless policy of "new militarism" that could destabilize the region.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi hit back, saying "nothing could be further from the truth."

"Think about it. There is a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers," Koizumi said at the annual IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The conference took place May 29–31.

"Japan has neither of such weapons. And yet, Japan is labelled (as) 'new militarism.' Isn't it strange?" he said, without mentioning China by name.

China is thought to possess hundreds of nuclear warheads and has been rapidly developing its military in recent years.

A diplomatic spat between the Asian rivals has been rumbling since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily if China were to attempt to seize Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims is part of its territory.

Koizumi said that China was expanding its military capabilities "without sufficient transparency" and that its military activities were "a matter of serious concern for Japan."

Tokyo would "steadily build up its defense capabilities and make continuous updates with a high degree of transparency," including in artificial intelligence and uncrewed systems as well as cyber and space defense, he said.

"Japan's past as a peace-loving nation has been valued by the region and by the international community. This fact will not be shaken by false claims, because it is a fact," he said.

Security rivalry

In May, China's Foreign Ministry urged Asia-Pacific countries to remain vigilant and "jointly resist the reckless actions of Japan's neo-militarism."

At the forum, Chinese delegate Maj. Gen. Meng Xiangqing challenged Japan directly, according to Reuters.

"I deeply doubt whether a country that has not thoroughly eradicated the toxic legacy of militarism is qualified to talk extensively about defense cooperation on international occasions, and whether it can win the trust of the international community, especially the Asian countries it once invaded," he said.

Regional flashpoints

The security tensions surfaced in discussions involving the Philippines. In a meeting on the sidelines, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. singled out Beijing's activities in the South China Sea for criticism, saying Manila "will not sacrifice our territorial integrity and sovereignty because our constitution does not allow us."

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

As Teodoro spoke, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command issued a statement saying it had "conducted combat readiness patrols" in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal, the site of a years-long territorial dispute with the Philippines.

The patrols "serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts" around the shoal, "an inherent part of China's territory," the statement said.

The Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's top defense forum. It brings together security officials and scholars from more than 45 countries.

In contrast to Japan and its ally the United States, China sent a watered-down delegation without its defense minister, Dong Jun, for the second year running.

Koizumi said he was "feeling sad that we were unable to have the opportunity to have a meeting this time."

He nonetheless said Japan remained committed to dialogue with Beijing.

"We keep the door open," he said.