Japan can do more to ease concerns of ‘wary’ China, South Korea on defence shift: analysts

Beijing accuses Tokyo of ‘stirring up tension and confrontation’, while Seoul wants prior consultation if its national interests will be affected by Japan’s counterstrike capabilities

Japan should regularly reassure regional states of the defensive nature of its security policies, build confidence with South Korea, analysts note

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Mitsubishi F-2 fighters of Japan Air Self-Defense Force at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka in November 2022. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30pm, 26 Dec 2022

Japan’s defence overhaul is unlikely to damage its relations with neighbours China and South Korea despite opposition from them, but Tokyo can do more to ease concerns about its military build-up and offensive capabilities, analysts have said.

Japan earlier this month unveiled a new national security plan to bolster its defence capabilities. The move, which included a significant spending hike, also enabled it to acquire “counterstrike capabilities”, signalling a shift away from the country’s post-war pacifist constitution.

This refers to the ability to directly attack another country in the event of an emergency and under specific circumstances, according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Photo: Pool via Reuters

China’s embassy in Japan said it had lodged a diplomatic protest and accused Tokyo of “stirring up tension and confrontation in the region”, adding that Japan had raised suspicion it had deviated from its post-war peaceful development track.

Japan had “hyped up the so-called China threat to find an excuse for its military build-up”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

South Korea responded by saying that Japan must consult Seoul before taking any action that affected Seoul’s national interests, such as using its counterstrike capabilities to target the Korean peninsula.

North Korea also weighed in, suggesting that Japan’s capacity to launch pre-emptive attacks on other countries had brought about “a serious security crisis to the Korean peninsula and East Asia”, according to the Korean Central News Agency, citing the country’s foreign ministry.