Japan’s hardening China stance is ‘clearly a concern’. But ‘behind closed doors’, does Asean accept it?

Japan labelled China its “greatest strategic challenge” in a recent defence white paper, and though analysts say Tokyo’s hardening position is “clearly a concern for Southeast Asia” they note that “behind closed doors” regional elites likely understand the approach.

The challenge posed by China is “unprecedented”, Japan said in the annual paper released on July 28, pointing to Beijing’s external stance, military activities and other acts that it said had become a serious concern. In response, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei slammed the “erroneous” paper, saying Tokyo had “crudely” interfered in Beijing’s internal affairs and stirred regional tensions.

Japan’s white paper also underscored the “imminent threat” posed by North Korea and noted that Russia’s military activities in the region, alongside its strategic coordination with China, were of “strong security concern”.

Koga said Japan had been closely communicating with member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on its defence and security posture and was looking to mitigate any confrontation through multilateral engagement.