In October, a fleet of five warships each from China and Russia circled Japan as they traveled through the Pacific to the East China Sea. Proponents of the new military muscle flexing, however, say the expansion is well-timed and crucial to the Japanese alliance with Washington.Ĭhina and Russia have stepped up military cooperation in recent years in an attempt to counter growing U.S.-led regional partnerships. Japan, the only nation to have atomic bombs dropped on it in war, possesses no nuclear deterrent, unlike other top global militaries, and relies on the so-called U.S. There's also domestic wariness over nuclear weapons. Critics, both Japan's neighbors and at home, urge Tokyo to learn from its past and pull back from military expansion. Japan's forces rival those of Britain and France, and show no sign of slowing down in a pursuit of the best equipment and weapons money can buy. But as it looks to defend its territorial and military interests against an assertive China, North Korea and Russia, officials in Tokyo are pushing citizens to put aside widespread unease over a more robust role for the military and support increased defense spending.Īs it is, tens of billions of dollars each year have built an arsenal of nearly 1,000 warplanes and dozens of destroyers and submarines. Japan has focused on its defensive capabilities and carefully avoids using the word “military” for its troops. In a nation still reviled by many of its neighbors for its past military actions, and where domestic pacifism runs high, any military buildup is controversial. Japan, despite an officially pacifist constitution written when memories of its World War II rampage were still fresh - and painful - boasts a military that puts all but a few nations to shame.Īnd, with a host of threats lurking in Northeast Asia, its hawkish leaders are eager for more. The exercises illuminate a fascinating, easy-to-miss point. On Monday, as hundreds of soldiers cheered from the sidelines and waved unit flags, lines of tanks shot at targets meant to represent enemy missiles or armored vehicles. The drills, which foreign journalists rarely have a chance to witness, will continue for nine days and include about 1,300 Ground Self Defense Force troops. Just across the sea from rival Russia, Japan opened up its humbly named Self Defense Force's firing exercises to the media in a display of public firepower that coincides with a recent escalation of Chinese and Russian military moves around Japanese territory. ENIWA, Japan - Dozens of tanks and soldiers fired explosives and machine guns in drills Monday on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, a main stronghold for a nation that is perhaps the world's least-known military powerhouse.
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