Japan's new defense budget plan reveals the sinister intentions of Japan's right-wing forces to push for the country's re-militarization and resurrect militarism, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday.
Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on Japan's approval of its record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen (about 58 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal 2026.
"Despite recent international criticism over latest military and security developments in Japan, the Japanese side has shown no inclination to mend its conduct, and instead plans to again hike defense budget, further revealing Japanese right-wing forces' malicious intentions to remilitarize Japan and resurrect militarism," Lin said.
"Given the Japanese militarists' innumerable war crimes, Japan's military and security moves have always been closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. Since the new Japanese government took office, it has been notably accelerating military buildup. From Prime Minister Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan region that threatens the use of force against China, to the remarks of a senior official of the Japanese Prime Minister's office calling for Japan's possession of nuclear weapons, and to the proposed revision of the three national security documents and the idea of altering the three non-nuclear principles, Japan is deviating further and further away from the path of peaceful development and moving in a dangerous direction," said the spokesman.
In recent years, Japan has removed the ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense, developed the so-called "capability to strike enemy bases," strengthened cooperation on extended deterrence, and built its frontier islands into front lines, which clearly goes beyond Japan's "exclusively defense-oriented" policy, the spokesman said.
"Terms such as 'self-defense' and 'counterstrike' are used by Japanese right-wing forces to gloss over their attempt to breach the postwar international order and stipulations in Japan's Constitution, and deceive and stoke public opinion. These moves have put the international community on high alert," Lin said.
"The Japanese people are also victims of militarism. Some in Japan pointed out that raising defense spending does not bring peace and stability. Rallies have been held across Japan in strong protest of the Japanese government's military expansion. Some scholars also noted that the defense budget hike will weigh heavily on Japan's economy and eventually be borne by the ordinary people in Japan," the spokesman continued.
China will work with all peace-loving countries to push back any dangerous move designed to resurrect militarism or cultivate neo-militarism, and jointly defend the outcomes of World War II victory, said the spokesman.
China criticizes Japan's record defense budget plan
