Japan fires back at ‘new militarism’ claims at key Asia security summit

Japan’s defence minister, Koizumi Shinjirō, pushed back against accusations of “new militarism” on Sunday, questioning how a country without nuclear weapons or strategic bombers could be portrayed as a growing military threat.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s leading security forum, Koizumi took direct aim at China’s criticism of Japan’s defence posture.

“Think about it. There’s a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled ‘new militarism’?” he said.

Koizumi stressed that Japan has remained committed to international law and the rules-based order since World War II.

“Since the end of the Second World War, Japan has consistently respected international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, and has made sincere efforts to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order,” he said.

His remarks came weeks after China’s foreign ministry urged Asia-Pacific nations to remain vigilant against what it called Japan’s “neo-militarism” and to jointly resist its “reckless actions.”

Koizumi also expressed disappointment over the lack of direct engagement with Chinese officials at the summit, saying he felt “sad” that he was unable to meet his Chinese counterparts.

For a second consecutive year, China’s Defence Minister, Dong Jun, skipped the Shangri-La Dialogue, passing up opportunities for face-to-face meetings with regional and international defence leaders.