Takaichi administration's military buildup pushes Japan down dangerous path: former journalist

The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is accelerating military buildup, a move that could take the country down a dangerous path, warned Shotaro Waki, a former journalist with the leading Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.

Waki's remarks came as Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is pushing forward with revising the country's three key documents on security and defense, aiming to further increase military spending and strengthen its air and maritime forces.

"It seems that the Takaichi administration wants to create a country that can wage war or return Japan to a state of militarism. The administration has taken it as its mission to build a country that is capable of fighting. It is precisely under this direction that it seeks to revise the three key documents," said Waki.

The three key documents refer to the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program approved by the Cabinet in 2022.

In addition, the Takaichi administration is also pushing a plan to include an emergency clause into Japan's post-war pacifist Constitution.

The proposal would extend lawmakers' terms of office and allow the Cabinet to issue emergency ordinances in times of emergencies, such as large-scale natural disasters.

Waki described the plan as very dangerous, warning that it could grant the Cabinet special powers.

"Isn't this an act that undermines democracy? The public need to realize this as soon as possible. Of course, people want stable lives. But if stability is used as an excuse to enact a Constitution that undermines it, it would be very dangerous," he said.

A recent poll conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun showed the cabinet's approval rating has fallen for two consecutive months.

Waki attributed the decline to a lack of economic improvements under the Takaichi administration.

"The administration has failed to make people's lives more prosperous, raise their incomes through active fiscal policy, or stabilize prices. It is natural that public opinion has turned negative, and people are feeling disappointed," said Waki.

Takaichi administration's military buildup pushes Japan down dangerous path: former journalist

The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-23 spaceship have entered the country's Tiangong space station and met with their astronaut colleagues early Monday morning, as they now begin an in-orbit crew handover.

Mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying successfully entered the station's core module Tianhe after the spaceship made a fast automated rendezvous and docked with the Tianhe module at 02:45 (Beijing Time) on Monday.

The three Shenzhou-21 crew members opened the hatch at 05:13 (Beijing Time) and greeted the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The six astronauts then took group pictures for the eighth in-orbit get-together in China's aerospace history.

Notably, one of the Shenzhou-23 crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

The Shenzhou-23 spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

Shenzhou-23 astronauts enter Tiangong space station, meet Shenzhou-21 crew