Japan has labelled China’s expanding military activities — from its southwestern coasts into the Pacific — as its most significant strategic threat, according to a new defence white paper released Tuesday. The report, submitted by the Defence Ministry to the Cabinet, raises alarm over Beijing’s assertiveness, growing military cooperation with Russia, rising tensions around Taiwan, and threats posed by North Korea.

Describing the current era as “a new crisis since the end of World War II,” the report warns of worsening security conditions in the Indo-Pacific and a shifting global power balance driven by intensifying US-China rivalry.

The paper highlights a sharp increase in Chinese naval activity in the Pacific, particularly around Japan’s southwestern islands. Over the past three years, the number of Chinese warships passing through the waters between Taiwan and Japan’s Yonaguni Island has tripled. The Defence Ministry also documented two airspace violations by Chinese warplanes near Nagasaki last year and the presence of a Chinese aircraft carrier just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the Nansei island chain.

Beijing responded sharply, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accusing Japan of “adopting a wrongful perception of China” and using regional tension as a pretext for its own military buildup. China also lodged diplomatic protests and urged Tokyo to reflect on its wartime history.

Japan, meanwhile, is bolstering defences on its southwestern islands and plans to deploy long-range cruise missiles amid concerns over a possible Taiwan conflict.

The report also cites North Korea’s nuclear and missile advancements as an “increasingly serious and imminent threat,” including solid-fuel ICBMs capable of reaching the US. Additionally, Russia remains a concern, with continued military activities around Japan and an airspace violation reported last September.

Japan's defence posture continues to shift in response to these growing regional threats.

Japan has labelled China’s expanding military activities — from its southwestern coasts into the Pacific — as its most significant strategic threat, according to a new defence white paper released Tuesday. The report, submitted by the Defence Ministry to the Cabinet, raises alarm over Beijing’s assertiveness, growing military cooperation with Russia, rising tensions around Taiwan, and threats posed by North Korea.

Describing the current era as “a new crisis since the end of World War II,” the report warns of worsening security conditions in the Indo-Pacific and a shifting global power balance driven by intensifying US-China rivalry.

The paper highlights a sharp increase in Chinese naval activity in the Pacific, particularly around Japan’s southwestern islands. Over the past three years, the number of Chinese warships passing through the waters between Taiwan and Japan’s Yonaguni Island has tripled. The Defence Ministry also documented two airspace violations by Chinese warplanes near Nagasaki last year and the presence of a Chinese aircraft carrier just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the Nansei island chain.

Beijing responded sharply, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accusing Japan of “adopting a wrongful perception of China” and using regional tension as a pretext for its own military buildup. China also lodged diplomatic protests and urged Tokyo to reflect on its wartime history.

Japan, meanwhile, is bolstering defences on its southwestern islands and plans to deploy long-range cruise missiles amid concerns over a possible Taiwan conflict.

The report also cites North Korea’s nuclear and missile advancements as an “increasingly serious and imminent threat,” including solid-fuel ICBMs capable of reaching the US. Additionally, Russia remains a concern, with continued military activities around Japan and an airspace violation reported last September.

Japan's defence posture continues to shift in response to these growing regional threats.