opinion

Shortly ago, the leader of Japan’s Social Democratic Party criticized the authorities’ moves for increasing the defence expenses.

On October 15 in Okinawa Prefecture where the US Futenma air base is stationed, he censured the government for pushing the boost in “defence spending” and the removal of the Self-Defense Forces to the Nansei Islands, asserting that the military budget is skyrocketing and urging the government to allocate the budget for free childcare and education and the like.

Japan’s buildup of “defence capability” has aroused concern of the international community in recent years.

The budget for 2024 increased the share of the “defence expenses” by 16.9 percent over last year, an all-time high in history. Even major Japanese newspapers say that the large-scale budget has already exceeded the demand of defence and the government is going to build defence forces beyond its own capabilities without any concern about whether stable financial support could be secured.

In fact, Japan is steadily increasing its attack hardware including long-range missiles, stealth fighters and aircraft carriers in the guise of escort ships.

It has long expanded the SDF’s sphere of activities which had been confined to its vicinity under the signboard of “exclusive defence” to the whole world and allowed the exercise of the "right to collective self-defence" on the pretext of “military support to allies”.

This year, too, Japan has been hell-bent on developing its war potentials while staging various military drills with the US, Australia and other countries in different parts of the world including the vicinity of China and Hawaii.

It is also putting spurs to the strengthening of its naval forces.

After establishing a 22-submarine system in 2022, it keeps building attack submarines in succession. In October, it launched the latest attack submarine Chogei (giant whale) which would be officially commissioned as the main warship of the Maritime SDF. 

Japan’s ever-more undisguised moves for becoming a military giant are seriously destroying security environment in the region.

The international community is closely watching Japan’s military moves to endanger regional security.