(ECNS) --Recently, Japanese government officials worshiped the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II alongside the war dead, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering. Coupled with moves to revise the Constitution for allowing lethal weapons export and restore the rank titles of Self-Defense Forces officers, these moves have raised serious concerns. Japan's military buildup has entered a more aggressive phase.
These moves reflect a shift in Japan's security policy from defense to offense, said Chen Zilei, president of the Shanghai Association for Japanese Studies and director of the Japanese Economic Research Center at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, in an exclusive interview with China News Network. He warned that vigilance is needed against a possible resurgence of militarism in Japan.
Chen noted that Takaichi has constantly used various means to provide political compensation to right-wing forces in Japan. By stoking confrontation with countries such as China and South Korea over historical issues, she seeks to consolidate support from internal right-wing groups and strengthen her political base.
At the same time, heightened tensions between Japan and its neighboring countries help Washington maintain greater control over Tokyo, and allow the United States to leverage Japan to stir up the situation in East Asia—an outcome the U.S. is willing to see, Chen said.
Chen further pointed out that Takaichi's campaign slogan, "Japan is back," combined with the April 21 revisions to "three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology" and their implementation guidelines, clearly signals her policy direction—the growing rise of neo-militarist forces in Japan.
Looking back at Japan's gradual efforts to break free from the constraints of its postwar pacifist constitution, Chen explained that the origins of these principles can be traced back to the 1967 "Three Principles on Arms Exports" introduced under then-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato.
The 1967 principles prohibited arms exports to socialist countries, countries subject to "arms" exports embargo under the UN resolutions, and countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts.
In 1976, then- Prime Minister Takeo Miki's administration revised the 1967 principles, creating a near-total ban on arms exports and reflecting Japan's postwar pacifist stance at that time.
However, with the rise of right-wing forces, Japan has gradually loosened these restrictions. In 1983, it began allowing the transfer of military technology to the United States.
In 2014, by replacing the original arms export ban with the current framework, the Japanese government permitted Japan to export defense equipment and technology across five non-combat categories, signaling a fundamental shift from arms exports being "prohibited in principle" to "permitted in principle." Chen said this move signaled Japan's intent to hollow out its pacifist constitution and push forward strategic transformation beyond legal constraints.
In 2022, these principles were further revised in response to the Ukraine Crisis, during which Japan provided equipment such as bulletproof vests to Ukraine.
Subsequently, in 2023, Japan approved the re-export of Patriot air defense missiles to the United States. In 2024, Japan also relaxed rules on jointly developed defense equipment, allowing next-generation fighter jets developed with the United Kingdom and Italy to be exported directly to third countries, removing key barriers to the export of large-scale offensive weapons.
On April 21, 2026, Japan scraped rules that had limited Japan's defense equipment exports to five non-combat categories, namely rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping. Chen noted that this marks a shift from incremental adjustments to rapid expansion, representing another step down the dangerous path of neo-militarism. It also signifies the complete end of the 1976 ban.
Looking back at history, Chen said that Japan's current approach bears striking similarities to the path leading up to Japan's war of aggression against China in the past. He argued that revising these principles is intended to promote remilitarization by fueling a regional arms race and escalating geopolitical tensions, thereby lending support to neo-militarism.
Chen emphasized that these moves Such actions seriously pose a serious challenge to the regional security order, and undermine regional peace and cooperation, as well as the mutual trust among countries that has developed under the framework of reginal economic integration.
He said that China remains committed to safeguarding world peace and development, firmly upholding multilateralism and the international order. At the same time, China must resolutely fight separatist forces aimed at "Taiwan independence" and oppose interference by external forces. China will work with peace-loving countries to curb the rise of neo-militarism in Japan.
中新经纬2月18日电 广铁集团长沙火车站官方微博18日称，2024年2月18日4点24分，兰州开往广州的K225次列车到达长沙站，因列车上一些旅客未在票面到达站下车，继续乘车到前方站，造成列车超员。受其影响，部分正常购票旅客未能 英伟达的新挑战者？孙正义计划筹集千亿美元成立AI芯片公司 孙正义计划筹资千亿美元，搭建属于软银的AI(人工智能)芯片巨头，对行业领导者英伟达发起挑战。 当地时间2月17日，据外媒报道，软银集团的创始人孙正义计划 龙年春节档的卖相与怪相 龙年春节档迎来尾声。回望春节前夕，无超级大片，多数影片都是熟面孔且不举行首映，观众进影院如开盲盒。以“贾玲减重100斤”为首的各种营销策略铺天盖地袭来，一度让部分观众产生逆反心理，对 中国经济导报、中国发展网讯 记者王晓涛报道 2月22日，普华永道发布了2023年下半年中国科技、媒体及通信行业（TMT）企业首次公开募股（IPO）数据。2023年下半年，全球资本市场发展趋缓，内地TMT企业上市数量及融 “十四五”前三年江西省单位工业增加值能耗预计下降约8% 中新网南昌2月22日电 (朱莹)22日，江西贯彻实施《江西省人民代表大会关于全力打造国家生态文明建设高地的决定》(以下简称《决定》)座谈会在南昌召开。记 中新经纬2月22日电 据高检网22日消息，近日，中国铁路青藏集团有限公司原党委委员、职工董事、副总经理、工会主席贾军(副厅级)涉嫌受贿罪、行贿罪一案，经最高人民检察院指定管辖，由甘肃省庆阳市人民检察院依法向甘肃省 。本文链接：Insights | Japan's shift away from postwar pacifist constitution raises fears of neo-militarism: exphttp://www.sushuapos.com/show-5-101116-0.html
声明：本网站为非营利性网站，本网页内容由互联网博主自发贡献，不代表本站观点，本站不承担任何法律责任。天上不会到馅饼，请大家谨防诈骗！若有侵权等问题请及时与本网联系，我们将在第一时间删除处理。