China opposes Japan's defense white paper

On August 2, Japanese government approved this year's version of defense white paper, which described the security environment surrounding the country "increasingly severe". It highlighted "more tangible" and "acute" challenges and destabilizing factors.

It claims that China continues to act in an "assertive" manner, including attempts at changing the status quo by coercion. China's "dangerous acts" in the South China Sea and East China Sea could cause unintended consequences.

On June 8, three Russian naval ships entered the waters close to the Diaoyu Islands. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Hatakaze quickly followed them into that area. In response to the Hatakaze's entry, the Chinese Jiangkai I-class frigate rushed into the waters, according to the Japanese weekly Nikkei Asian Review.

Hiding the first part of the episode, the white paper criticized China for its frigate's entry into Japan's "contiguous" zone near the disputed islets in the East China Sea. (To overblow Chinese ship's entry, Japan's foreign ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua in the tee hours of that day, and lodged a protest.)

Refusing to have a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, Japan is unlikely to talk with China over its settlement, leaving the waters near the islands a minefield.

The defense legislation eliminates geographic constraints by substituting a situational threshold (situations that "gravely affect the peace and stability of Japan") rather than limiting support to "situations in areas surrounding Japan". It authorizes support to non-US troops.

It expands the range of allowable logistical support, such as refueling fighter planes and transporting ammunition for US and other foreign military forces in multinational operations.

It enables allied interaction in "gray-zone" scenarios between armed conflict and peacetime law enforcement actions, in which swift and robust responses are required to secure the peace and security of Japan even when an armed attack against Japan is not involved.

It allows Japan's Self-Defense Forces to protect friendly nations' military assets, including warships of the US and "a foreign country in a close relationship with Japan".

With a global perspective, Japan has set its eyes on China. According to the 2016 defense white paper, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has established the 9th air wing at Naha air base in Okinawa, and its Ground Self-Defense Force formed a coast observation unit in Japan's westernmost inhabited Yonaguni Island in an attempt to deter China.

Japanese PM Abe announced plans Wednesday for a fresh barrage of economic stimulus to help revive stalling growth.Photo: Kyodo News

In March, Japan approved its record $44 billion defense budget for this year, the fourth straight annual increase under the country's conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Japan will continue to attach great importance to its alliance to the US, trying to develop seamless military cooperation. By the year 2020, 60 percent of the American forces will be deployed in the Asia-Pacific region.

The white paper criticized the DPRK for continuing provocative military actions such as conducting its fourth nuclear test in January and repeatedly launching ballistic missiles since February.

It said that given technological maturity through the DPRK's previous four nuclear tests, it could be possible that the country has achieved the miniaturization of nuclear weapons and has developed nuclear warheads.

Considering the DPRK's launch of a ballistic missile, purported to be a "satellite" in February and its launch of Musudan in June, the country seems to have been further advancing its overall development of ballistic missiles.

The white paper presented relatively neutral revaluation of Russia. While other Western nations isolate Russia, Japan is eager to approach the big power to settle their territorial dispute. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to make his long-awaited visit to Japan at the end of this year, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in May.

"As for the situation in Ukraine, the result of Russia's engagement in a ‘hybrid warfare'to change the status quo to be becoming fixed, and the threat perception regarding Russia's activities is increasing especially in Europe," the white paper said. "Russia's military intervention in Syria is drawing attention as a manifestation of the achievements of Russia's series of military reform as well as a move to increase its international influence."

Though seven Japanese people were killed in a terror attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 1, Japan's defense white paper touched on the issue of international terrorism lightly.

"Some international terrorist organizations are capable of implementing terror attacks in locations far from their bases," it said. "In light of the terrorist attack in Dhaka, Japan is in a situation where it needs to squarely address the threat of international terrorism as its challenge."

Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Japan's 2016 defense white paper, calling the annual document hostile to the Chinese military and deceptive to the international community.

In Japan's 2016 defense white paper, Japan interferes in the South China Sea. Photo: China Daily

"The white paper distorts China's justified and reasonable defense work, heightening issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement.

"Filled with hostility to the Chinese military, it stirs up trouble between China and its neighbors, and attempts to deceive the international community, " Wu said.

He said the Chinese military has lodged solemn representations with Japan over the white paper.

"What we want to remind Japan is that freedom of navigation has never been a problem in the South China Sea, while interference by Japan and other non-regional countries jeopardizes peace and stability in the region," Wu said.

On the East China Sea issue, Wu said the Diaoyu Islands are part of China. He said Japan has hyped up repeatedly the so-called "abnormally close encounter" of Chinese and Japanese military aircraft, but claimed that the video released by the Chinese Defense Ministry in June 2014 clearly showed who was at fault.

As for the accusations in the white paper of increased Chinese military activity near the Diaoyu Islands, Wu said what the Chinese military did was entirely in line with the islands belonging to China.

He said Japan's ultimate purpose was large-scale changes to its military policy, increased arms and a revision of its pacifist constitution.

He urged Japan to create conditions for improved China-Japan ties through concrete action.

Japan released its first white paper on defense in 1970 and has compiled a new version each year since 1976.

(APD)