Ministry of Defense: Promoting Japan's "New Militarism" Will Push the Region into a Dangerous Vortex

On the afternoon of September 14, Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, released a statement regarding recent military-related issues.

Reporter: According to reports, from September 8 to 24, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will conduct the "Orient Shield 26" joint exercise with the armies of the United States and Australia in Hokkaido and Kagoshima, Japan. The U.S. "Typhoon" medium-range missile system will participate in this exercise for the first time. What is your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: The exercise is packaged under the name "shield," but in reality, it is aimed at advancing the forward deployment of strategic offensive weapons, undermining the normal security interests of other countries, escalating the regional arms race and military confrontation risks, and seriously threatening regional security and stability. We firmly oppose this. In recent years, Japan has continuously breached its pacifist constitution and the principle of exclusively defensive defense, vigorously developing long-range offensive weapons, accelerating its "remilitarization" through foreign military exercises, seeking military expansion, and catering to external forces to create confrontations, artificially generating regional tensions, and gradually stepping onto the path of "new militarism." Any actions that fuel Japan's military ambitions will only push the region into a dangerous vortex and will inevitably harm itself. We urge relevant countries to genuinely respect the security concerns of others, correct their erroneous practices, and take concrete actions to contribute positively to regional peace and stability.