China warns against Japan's remilitarization

China accused Japan's defense minister on Monday of spreading baseless claims and sowing confusion, urging the international community to stay on high alert to prevent and suppress the rise of Japanese neomilitarism.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the statement at a daily news briefing in Beijing, after Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi recently pledged to keep strengthening the military and rejected Japan being labeled a neomilitarist country at a Singapore forum.

Lin said Koizumi's remarks were totally groundless given historical facts, legal grounds and figures on the matter, adding that such a stance makes it impossible for Japan to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.

Japanese militarists committed horrendous crimes in World War II and inflicted untold suffering to its Asian neighbors and Allied nations, Lin said.

To prevent the revival of Japanese militarism, a series of instruments with legal effect under international law — including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation — clearly require Japan to be "completely disarmed" and not to maintain such industries as "would enable her to re-arm for war", he said.

Despite such restrictions, Japan's latest defense budget has exceeded 9 trillion yen ($56 billion), hitting a record high for 14 consecutive years, he added.

Citing more figures signaling Japan's expanding military buildup, Lin said Tokyo's total defense expenditure has surged to 2 percent of its GDP with plans to further increase it to 3.5 percent, while military orders from the Defense Ministry have tripled over the past five years.

Since the current administration came to power in October, it has been accelerating the deployment of intermediate and long-range missiles, easing the export restrictions of lethal weapons, and promoting the revision of its Constitution and three key security documents, he said.

These actions are seen as attempts to further breach the international and domestic laws and challenge the postwar international order, he added.

Regarding Japan's deepened military engagement with NATO, Lin said Japan has been pursuing remilitarization at full throttle, engaging in frequent interactions with a military organization from outside the region, expanding the scope of activities of its Self-Defense Forces, and building a combat-ready operational system.

"This is Japan trying to break free from the constraints of its Constitution, domestic and international laws, and its 'exclusively defense-oriented' principle," he said.

Japan portrays itself as a "peace-loving country", but its actions move in the very opposite direction, he added.

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn