Under the guise of so-called security cooperation, Japan's "new militarism" poses a threat with its first overseas launch of offensive missiles.

【Global Times Report by Reporter Guo Yuandan】On the 6th, Japan launched the Type 88 ship-based anti-ship missile during the "Shoulder to Shoulder" joint military exercise with the United States and the Philippines. This marks Japan's first overseas launch of an offensive missile since World War II.

In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated at a regular press conference on the 6th that the former aggressor has not only failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes but is instead using the guise of so-called "security cooperation" to send military forces overseas and launch offensive missiles. This trend once again indicates that Japan's right-wing forces are pushing for an accelerated "remilitarization" process, continuously breaking through the limits of "defensive defense" and relevant regulations of international and domestic law, with some policies and actions far exceeding the scope of "self-defense."

Lin Jian stated that the serious shortcomings in historical education and the fundamental errors in historical views, combined with strategic schemes to strengthen military capabilities, have led to the emergence of Japan's "new militarism," which threatens regional peace and stability.

Since the Cabinet decision on April 21 officially allowed the export of lethal weapons, Japan has been accelerating related deployments, transforming policy breakthroughs into actual military and defense actions.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, on May 5, Japanese Defense Minister Kōzuki Shinjirō held talks with Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Both sides agreed to establish a working consultation mechanism for exporting second-hand Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) escort ships to the Philippines. Kōzuki stated at a press conference that discussions would be promoted to achieve "comprehensive equipment cooperation," covering equipment training, training, and maintenance support.

The escort ships involved in the Japan-Philippines export consultations are of the "Abukuma" class, which are equipped with high-performance machine guns and anti-ship missile systems. Additionally, the transfer of additional JMSDF "TC-90" training aircraft has also been included in the scope of consultations.

On May 4, Kōzuki held talks with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Both sides signed an agreement aimed at expanding defense cooperation and established a high-level dialogue mechanism, envisioning cooperation in areas such as joint training and disaster relief.

Regarding Japan's so-called defense cooperation with countries like the Philippines, military expert Zhang Junsha stated to a Global Times reporter on the 6th that Japan is attempting to "borrow a boat to go to sea," enhancing its overseas military intervention capabilities and expanding its overseas military influence, thereby advancing its so-called "normalization of the nation" process. He believes that such actions violate relevant international documents with international legal effect, which clearly restrict Japan's rearmament. Now, Japan is not only advancing its own armed construction but also deploying military forces abroad, which clearly violates international law and Japan's domestic constitution.

According to Japanese media reports, on the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials, Japanese government officials have been frequently visiting and promoting security cooperation. Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Sanae returned home on the 5th after visiting Vietnam and Australia. During the visit, Kishi's series of actions sparked significant controversy.

On May 2, Kishi officially proposed an upgraded version of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP)" during a speech at the National University of Vietnam in Hanoi. This concept was originally proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016, and the core content of this speech was a comprehensive upgrade of the FOIP. On the 4th, during her visit to Australia, Kishi went to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and related videos showed her kneeling to lay flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier. In response, some Japanese netizens criticized, saying, "If she could face neighboring countries with the same attitude, the world would be at peace." Recently, protests have been held in several cities in Japan, with local residents shouting slogans such as "Oppose constitutional revision! Oppose war! The Kishi administration is absolutely unacceptable!" expressing their demands for peace.