The draft of Japan's Defense White Paper again stirs up the so-called "China threat," military experts say Japan has no qualification to make baseless comments.

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Japan, Chu Xin; Global Times Reporter, Guo Yuandan] The draft of Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper was exposed by the media on the 15th. This is the first Defense White Paper since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office. The draft focuses on hyping the so-called "China threat theory," portraying China's activities in the Pacific as a "security threat" and expressing vigilance. Relevant experts told Global Times reporters on the 17th that the Takaichi government is stubbornly pushing for military expansion and is recklessly accusing other countries of normal national defense construction and legitimate rights protection actions. Such dangerous trends have already triggered strong protests from the Japanese public, and its various dangerous military moves are undoubtedly pushing the regional situation toward the brink of war.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, the draft lists so-called specific examples as evidence: including the Chinese military's first dual aircraft carrier training exercise in the Pacific last June, where Chinese warplanes and Self-Defense Force aircraft came "unusually close," and the incident in December last year where a Chinese military aircraft "illuminated radar" on a Self-Defense Force aircraft southeast of Okinawa Island. The draft accuses China of "continuously increasing defense spending significantly against a backdrop of a lack of transparency in defense policy" and claims that it should respond through comprehensive national power and cooperation with allies and "like-minded countries." The draft is expected to be formally approved at a cabinet meeting as early as July this year.

"In recent years, Japan has frequently used fabricated peripheral security threats, especially the so-called 'China threat,' as a reason to continuously increase military spending and focus on developing offensive military capabilities," military expert Zhang Junsha told Global Times reporters on the 17th, stating that Japan's series of accusations are unfounded. For example, like navies around the world, the Chinese navy conducts navigation activities in relevant waters in accordance with laws and regulations, exercising freedom of navigation and overflight, and Japan has no right to apply double standards or make accusations. In addition, Japan's per capita defense spending is three times that of China, and the per capita defense spending of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is more than twice that of China. "Japan has no qualification to criticize China's reasonable and moderate national defense construction," Zhang Junsha said.

This is not the first time Japan has used security issues to promote military expansion. The 2025 version of Japan's Defense White Paper has already defined China as "the unprecedented largest strategic challenge" and has meddled in the Taiwan issue, provoking strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition from China, which has lodged stern representations to Japan.

On the 15th, some citizens of Tokyo held a rally in front of the Prime Minister's official residence to protest the Takaichi administration's acceleration of military expansion and constitutional revision. According to Japan's Tokyo Shimbun, hundreds of Tokyo citizens also protested on the same day in Suginami Ward, holding glow sticks and opposing the Takaichi government's war-oriented policies, attempts to revise the constitution, and the shift towards relaxing weapon exports. Participants at the scene chanted slogans such as "Sovereignty belongs to the people," "Oppose war," and "Reject constitutional revision." The public strongly accused the government of ignoring the will of the National Assembly and stubbornly pushing forward military expansion and constitutional revision processes.

Japanese media have also given negative evaluations of the Takaichi government's series of dangerous trends. Japan's Asahi Shimbun commented that the Takaichi administration is fully laying out plans for weapon exports, and the vast majority of opposition forces believe that this major policy shift is too hasty, lacking rigorous parliamentary review processes and failing to build social consensus, which seriously damages Japan's international image.