Japan’s “Three New Security Documents” are a big move (the core of Japan’s new security bill)

After several months of debate, on December 16, the Japanese government passed the revised "National Security Strategy", "National Defense Strategy" and "Defense Force Preparation Plan" at a cabinet meeting. Guarantee documents.

This marks a major change in Japan's defense policy. Japan is no longer content to play the role of a "shield" in the US-Japan security alliance.

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force data map

Japan’s “Three New Security Documents” have three main points:

First, position China as the “Three New Security Documents” The biggest strategic challenge.” The document falsely claims that China's foreign posture and military activities are "matters of serious concern" for the international community, accuses China of launching missiles during military exercises in the Taiwan Strait region, posing a "threat" to local residents, and labels China as "economic coercion."

The spokesperson of our Embassy in Japan made a statement on the 16th, saying that the relevant statement seriously deviated from the basic facts, violated the principles and spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, wantonly incited China's threats, and provoked regional tension and confrontation. China strongly expressed this We are dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it and have lodged stern representations with Japan.

The spokesperson also warned Japan: In history, Japan has gone astray by militarism, committed aggression, expansion and crimes against humanity, bringing serious disasters to the region and the world. This time, Japan has significantly adjusted its security policy and strengthened its counterattack military capabilities. This has made people suspect that Japan is "deviating from the track of post-war peaceful development" and will inevitably arouse the vigilance and opposition of all peace-loving people. The spokesperson urged Japan to learn lessons and avoid becoming a disruptor and disruptor of relations between the two countries and regional security and stability.

According to a report by the Japan Times on the 16th, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tried to define China as a "threat" in the document, but was opposed by the co-ruling Komeito Party, and finally included China in the document - this Tokyo’s largest trading partner – calling it “the biggest strategic challenge Japan has ever faced.” The document also called North Korea a "more serious and imminent threat than before" and called Russia a "serious security risk."

Second, the so-called "counterattack capability" was introduced, allowing Japan to use long-range missiles to attack enemy bases and command and control nodes.

According to the "Three New Security Documents", Japan will extend the range of domestically produced Type 12 anti-ship missiles within five years and purchase US-made "Tomahawk" cruise missiles with a range of about 1,600 kilometers. The total cost of purchasing Tomahawk missiles is estimated to be approximately 5 trillion yen.

Japanese Self-Defense Force officials told CNN that Japan’s current missile defense system can only engage an incoming target when it enters a range of about 50 kilometers. China has missiles that can be launched from fighter aircraft at a distance of 300 kilometers.

Critics say that if Japan attempts to deploy these weapons in a pre-emptive manner, it would violate the "exclusive defense" posture stipulated in Article 9 of Japan's post-war constitution.

Japanese experts said that the new security document strengthens and expands Japan's role in the Japan-US alliance and adds steps to expand Japan-US bilateral defense cooperation, marking Japan's "shield and sword" with Washington. "In the relationship, there is a shift from the traditional "shield" role.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin immediately welcomed Japan’s three new security documents: “We welcome Japan’s latest strategic document, which reflects Japan’s commitment to maintaining a rules-based international order and a free and open Indian Ocean- "We support Japan's decision to acquire new capabilities to strengthen regional deterrence, including counterattack capabilities." In November, U.S. and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets participated in joint exercises over the Sea of ??Japan. Data map

Third, Japan’s military expenditure is about to reach NATO standards.

To pay for new weapons and systems, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida broke a long-standing Japanese taboo late last month, instructing his defense minister and finance minister to ensure that by 2027, Japan’s military budget will be equivalent to 2% of GDP. The 2% target stipulated in the new strategy, as well as the five-year expenditure plan of 43 trillion yen proposed in Japan's defense plan, will bring Japan's military spending in line with NATO standards.

In response, Kishida Fumio defended at a press conference held after the cabinet approved the document that the world is currently "at a crossroads in history", which requires Japan to "take immediate action."

Citizens who opposed the Japanese cabinet meeting to finalize three security-related documents held a rally in front of the Prime Minister's residence on the 16th, chanting slogans such as "No unauthorized decisions allowed" and "Preparing for war is against the constitution." Participants in the rally held microphones and criticized, "There has been no serious discussion in Congress. How can the ability to attack enemy bases be dedicated to defense?" They also displayed placards that read "Force cannot create peace" and "If defense expenses increase , taxes will also increase."

On December 16, people who opposed the increase in defense spending held a protest rally in front of the House of Representatives Hall.

At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 16th, spokesperson Wang Wenbin denounced the defense policy document issued by Japan as "ignoring facts" and unwarranted smearing of China's national defense construction and normal military activities. He warned Japan: It is impossible to succeed in trying to exaggerate the "China threat" to find excuses for strengthening its military and expanding its armed forces.

Extended reading:

Media: Japan's "security rampage" targets China to give the United States a "meeting gift"

Direct news: Japan is expected to The official adoption of three series of security documents including the national security strategy regards China as the so-called "biggest strategic challenge of all time". Do you have any comments on this?

Special commentator Guan Yao: The focus now is tomorrow’s Japanese cabinet meeting. After Japan's ruling coalition, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party, reached a consensus on revising three security documents on Monday, it is highly likely that the Kishida cabinet meeting will approve them on Friday. These three security documents include the new national security strategy, national defense project guidelines, and the mid-term defense force preparation plan. Among them, the national security strategy is the general outline, the so-called strategic thinking, and the second strategic report released by Japan after 2013. The other two documents are released regularly and are specific implementation guidelines, focusing on tactics and armament execution and budget. ensure.

The annual Chinese character written by Kiyomizudera this year is "war". Now it seems that this is not only an annual summary of Japanese social sentiment, but also the situational awareness and strategic decision-making conveyed by the word "war". This is evident in the three strategic documents that the cabinet is about to force through. Judging from the editorial title of the English newspaper "The Japan Times", the Tokyo government is opening up a new path for national security. The term "new path" is of course a euphemism. The Kishida cabinet wants to substantially hollow out the pacifist constitution and comprehensively break through the so-called "exclusive defense" ". Shinzo Abe, who was shot in the street and died, was obsessed with the so-called "amending the constitution and establishing an army." However, what Abe failed to achieve during his tenure as prime minister will be largely due to the adoption and implementation of these three major security documents. A crucial jump. If Japan’s so-called defense investment, as shown in the planning guidelines, reaches 2% of the gross national product according to the standards of NATO member states, it will reach the 40 to 43 trillion yen military expenditure target set in the guidelines from 2023 to 2027, that is, in the next five years. , this investment intensity will be 1.5 times that of the past five years. Japan's global ranking of military investment will climb from ninth in the world last year to third in five years. As far as China is concerned, what should be most vigilant is of course the determination of the so-called "biggest strategic challenge", which will inevitably affect and impact the bilateral relations between Asia's top two economies.

Zhi News: So why does Japan want to make such a so-called strategic adjustment? What impact will this have on Sino-Japanese relations?

Special commentator Guan Yao: The first national security strategy adopted by Japan after the war was in 2013, three years after China’s GDP surpassed Japan’s for the first time. In its first national security strategy report, Japan regarded North Korea as the number one strategic threat, and China as a so-called "issue of concern to the international community." So, nine years later, why has Japan intensified its efforts to manipulate China's agenda, even calling it "unprecedented" “the biggest strategic challenge”? According to the formulation of the "Japan Times" editorial, this is the first point of Japan's new national defense strategy and the starting point for a comprehensive understanding of the three security documents.

In my opinion, naming China as Japan’s number one imaginary enemy is an outburst of the so-called “China threat theory” in Japanese political circles, and a rejection of the strategy of neighboring powers to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. This is a serious misjudgment of planning. In the final analysis, the Kishida cabinet wants to use the grand move of establishing the so-called strongest imaginary enemy to push its own political agenda, accelerate the hollowing out of the country's pacifist constitution, and completely break through the so-called "exclusive defense". Externally, this is also to echo the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" that the United States is comprehensively advancing, strive to become the United States' number one ally in the region, and further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance.

One of the so-called all-round strategic competition methods of the United States against China is the alliance strategy. Canada's previously released national security strategy regards China as its number one strategic rival and uses this to hand over its "letter of surrender" to the United States. Japan undoubtedly has the same motivation. In addition, in terms of timing, the Japanese Prime Minister will visit the United States early next year, and Kishida obviously wants to treat these three security documents as a meeting gift.

What should also be vigilant is Japan’s follow-up security actions. In view of the judgment of Japanese policymakers that the gap in national power between Japan and its immediate neighbors has continued to widen in a visible way for some time, Japan will increasingly rely on the power of alliances to promote security. Japan has been invited to participate in the expanded NATO meeting for the first time this year. Japan has also just announced that it will jointly develop the so-called sixth-generation fighter jets with Italy and the United Kingdom. Japan will also participate in the so-called Five Eyes Alliance+, AUKUS+, etc., which have been turbulent in Western public opinion for a long time. Actively seek to be the first bonus target. Including manipulating and interfering in issues in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and even the East China Sea, Japan's actions in the future are bound to become more intensified, which also means that Sino-Japanese relations will continue to be under pressure in the future.

Direct News: Japan will build its so-called foreign counterattack capabilities by purchasing "Tomahawk" cruise missiles from the United States. What do you think of this?

Special commentator Guan Yao: The "Japan Times" editorial pointed out that in addition to the so-called "imaginary enemy starting point" for understanding the three security documents, there are two focus issues: First, building the so-called counterattack capability. Second, where will the money for the substantial increase in the defense budget come from? The daily judged that the first question has been solved and is certain, but the second question is not clear, that is, where the money will come from, there is still a lot of uncertainty.

The so-called external counterattack capability, in a military sense, refers to the search, confirmation and attack of targets at enemy bases or military command and control sites. According to Fumio Kishida’s explanation at a congressional hearing this week, The basic idea is to ensure that it has counterattack capabilities to enhance containment, thereby reducing the possibility of missile attacks. Kishida added prerequisites for the use of so-called external counterattack capabilities, that is, the enemy has launched an armed attack and Japan is in an "existential crisis situation." He also promised that Japan will keep the use of counterattack capabilities to a minimum.

I have noticed that Japan is building its so-called counterattack capabilities, with missiles clearly placed at the core. The Japanese media are hyping up Japan’s counterattack capabilities, and they are constantly citing China-related hype data in the Pentagon’s so-called latest military strength report. The US said , China has at least 300 land-based cruise missiles and more than 1,000 ballistic missiles with a range covering Japan. This is why the outside world is particularly concerned that Japan has been unable to purchase Tomahawk missiles from the United States for many years, but has made significant progress recently. The "Tomahawk" is an unusual axe. When the United States launches large-scale wars with foreign countries, it often uses the "Tomahawk" to strike the first blow. Previously, the United States had only sold "Tomahawk" to its hardcore ally on the other side of the Atlantic, the United Kingdom. "If an arms sales deal is reached with Tokyo, Japan will become the second country to receive overseas sales of "Tomahawk", the core offensive weapon of the United States. Last month, the Japanese Prime Minister met with the US President during a series of East Asia meetings in Cambodia. Biden directly called Japan a "high priority buyer" and a so-called "preferred buyer." Now it seems that this is the US's intention to sell Japan's "Tomahawk" A clear signal is also a substantial boost to Japan’s “security rampage”.

Author丨Guan Yao, special commentator of Shenzhen TV's "Live Broadcast of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan"