The recent
defence White Paper which was released by the Japanese government has
caused discord in East Asia, as both South Korea and China cite grave
concerns over the content of Tokyo’s military outline. Japan’s latest
defence paper outlines an increase in defence spending over the next
five years as well as new acquisitions for the Japanese Self-Defense
Naval Forces. The Paper also outlines Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
moves to ease restrictions on Japanese weapons exports. Japan is also
seeking to emphasize the notion of collective peace and security; a
rubric that would allow Japan to intervene militarily if an ally
nation is under threat. To this end, Shinzo Abe announced in July that his cabinet had approved of a constitutional
re-interpretation, which lifts the ban on Japanese troops fighting
overseas.
defence White Paper which was released by the Japanese government has
caused discord in East Asia, as both South Korea and China cite grave
concerns over the content of Tokyo’s military outline. Japan’s latest
defence paper outlines an increase in defence spending over the next
five years as well as new acquisitions for the Japanese Self-Defense
Naval Forces. The Paper also outlines Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
moves to ease restrictions on Japanese weapons exports. Japan is also
seeking to emphasize the notion of collective peace and security; a
rubric that would allow Japan to intervene militarily if an ally
nation is under threat. To this end, Shinzo Abe announced in July that his cabinet had approved of a constitutional
re-interpretation, which lifts the ban on Japanese troops fighting
overseas.
While the Japanese government characterizes its defence
policy and spending increase as a return to geopolitical normalcy,
other nations, notably China view this trend as signs of a
re-emerging Japanese militarism. The Chinese defence ministry claims
that “Japan ignores the facts and deliberately embellishes the
China threat as an excuse to adjust its military and security
policies and expand arms manufacturing.” Sino-Japanese are at a nadir
not seen for many years, with tensions between the two countries
resulting in a lack of bilateral dialogue. Currently Shinzo Abe is seeking to arrange a leader’s summit
between himself and President Xi Jinping, as neither leader has met his
counterpart since both came to power over 18 months ago.
| No Meeting as of Yet: President Xi Jinping (left) & Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Photo Credit: asianews.it |
Rather
than scrapping Article Nine – the pacifist clause in the Japanese
post-war constitution – Japan is seeking to remain true to its
pacifist constitution, yet while still being able to fulfil it’s
treaty obligations to the United States. Japan’s increased military
spending and international assertiveness grates against its post-war
pacifist constitution, yet Tokyo argues that it is largely seeking to
operate as any ‘normal’ state does vis-à-vis its respective security
concerns. Specifically, the Abe government cites the dual threats of
North Korea and China as the key driving forces in determining
Japanese defence policy. Repeated North Korean missile tests,
combined with increased incursions by Chinese and Russian aircraft
into Japanese airspace has caused Japan to feel threatened. In 2013
Japanese fighters were scrambled 810 times, the highest amount in
twenty-four years.
than scrapping Article Nine – the pacifist clause in the Japanese
post-war constitution – Japan is seeking to remain true to its
pacifist constitution, yet while still being able to fulfil it’s
treaty obligations to the United States. Japan’s increased military
spending and international assertiveness grates against its post-war
pacifist constitution, yet Tokyo argues that it is largely seeking to
operate as any ‘normal’ state does vis-à-vis its respective security
concerns. Specifically, the Abe government cites the dual threats of
North Korea and China as the key driving forces in determining
Japanese defence policy. Repeated North Korean missile tests,
combined with increased incursions by Chinese and Russian aircraft
into Japanese airspace has caused Japan to feel threatened. In 2013
Japanese fighters were scrambled 810 times, the highest amount in
twenty-four years.
| 2013: highest interdiction levels since Cold War Photo Credit: asia.nikkei.com |
The recent
establishment of a Chinese air defence identification zone over
Japanese controlled islands caused outrage in Japan, which in turn
has sought to re-engage with the United States, breathing new life
into the mutual defence treaty, which following the Cold War had
begun to chafe some quarters of the Japanese polity. Japan has lined
up to purchase the F-35 Lightning II as well as an additional two or
three Aegis equipped destroyers from the United States. Furthermore
this year Japan is for the first time hosting joint coast guard
drills with the United States, South Korea, Russia and Canada.
China’s air identification zone combined with the various disputes
and naval clashes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has led Japan to
describe Chinese actions as ‘dangerous’, which could “lead to unintentional consequences.” This point was accentuated
by the fact that following the release of the White Paper three Chinese coastguard vessels sailed into Japanese controlled twelve
kilometre territorial waters around said islands.
establishment of a Chinese air defence identification zone over
Japanese controlled islands caused outrage in Japan, which in turn
has sought to re-engage with the United States, breathing new life
into the mutual defence treaty, which following the Cold War had
begun to chafe some quarters of the Japanese polity. Japan has lined
up to purchase the F-35 Lightning II as well as an additional two or
three Aegis equipped destroyers from the United States. Furthermore
this year Japan is for the first time hosting joint coast guard
drills with the United States, South Korea, Russia and Canada.
China’s air identification zone combined with the various disputes
and naval clashes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has led Japan to
describe Chinese actions as ‘dangerous’, which could “lead to unintentional consequences.” This point was accentuated
by the fact that following the release of the White Paper three Chinese coastguard vessels sailed into Japanese controlled twelve
kilometre territorial waters around said islands.
In
seeking the moral high ground, China regularly invokes Japan’s
wartime past as proof of Japan’s untrustworthy nature, and views any
increase in spending or procurement by Tokyo as slippery-slope
militarism fuelled by WWII revanchism. By continually putting the
focus on Japan, China seeks to distract from its own rapidly growing
defence budget, one which by far exceeds any other Asia nation, and
is second only to the U.S. While China’s defence spending trajectory
is meteoric, Beijing still feels insecure vis-à-vis Japan. Even
disregarding the role of the U.S.-Japan defence treaty, Japan’s
military, notably its navy, remains greatly superior to China’s, at
least technologically if not in terms of gross tonnage.
| Photo Credit: ktracy.com |
| Photo Credit: Financial Times |
Japan’s
navy is one of the youngest and most advanced, as well as the second
biggest among Asian nations. Japan has added many new vessels to its fleet in recent years, most notably the two new Izumo class helicopter destroyers (which China – rightly – calls aircraft carriers in all but name). Moreover Japan spends significantly less
on defence as a percentage of GDP than China. China’s economy is over
twice the size of Japan, yet were Japan to match China’s 2% of GDP
level, it would reach $100billion, compared to China’s $122billion.
1Such an increase is something which is currently
restrained by Japan’s pacifist constitution which places a 1% of GDP
guideline on defence spending. This fact is an important factor why
China views any reinterpretation of Article Nine and the Constitution
in general which such trepidation.
navy is one of the youngest and most advanced, as well as the second
biggest among Asian nations. Japan has added many new vessels to its fleet in recent years, most notably the two new Izumo class helicopter destroyers (which China – rightly – calls aircraft carriers in all but name). Moreover Japan spends significantly less
on defence as a percentage of GDP than China. China’s economy is over
twice the size of Japan, yet were Japan to match China’s 2% of GDP
level, it would reach $100billion, compared to China’s $122billion.
1Such an increase is something which is currently
restrained by Japan’s pacifist constitution which places a 1% of GDP
guideline on defence spending. This fact is an important factor why
China views any reinterpretation of Article Nine and the Constitution
in general which such trepidation.
| Japan’s Largest Vessels Since WWII: Izumo class helicopter destroyer Photo Credit: globalmilitaryreview.blogspot.com |
Moreover China gets less
‘bang-for-its-buck’ as its $122billion has to cover a vastly larger
country, one which borders over a dozen other states (notably North
Korea, Russia, Pakistan, Afganistan and India). Consequently China’s
resources are widely dispersed. Conversely Japan, as an island nation
is far more secure. Japan’s entire eastern seaboard open onto the
vast expanse of the empty Pacific, patrolled by allied American
ships. The end of the Cold War as to a large extent diffused the
Russian threat, while the other closest country, South Korea shares
with Japan both democratic government and the United States as an
ally. Consequently Japan can expend the entirety of its resources on
dealing with China (and to a far lesser degree North Korea in the Sea
of Japan) in the East China Sea.
These
geo-political realities in turn inform the way in which China deals
with Japan and its attendant defence related issues. Following the
release of the Paper, various Chinese media sources quickly
responded, with Xinhua accusing Japan of “hyping up the China
threat,” Beijing Times calling out Japanese actions as expansionism
and The People’s Daily describing the White Paper as “harbouring evil intentions.” This consistent message is not a surprise
given that these news organs are closely linked to the Chinese
government. In any case, such rhetoric is not new, as Beijing often
invokes anti-Japanese sentiment in order to boost nationalism and
collective identity as the CCP continues to shift into its
post-communist identity. Similarly, Japan uses the spectre of China
to bolster support amongst conservatives, but also more liberal
voters who oppose China’s human rights record.
geo-political realities in turn inform the way in which China deals
with Japan and its attendant defence related issues. Following the
release of the Paper, various Chinese media sources quickly
responded, with Xinhua accusing Japan of “hyping up the China
threat,” Beijing Times calling out Japanese actions as expansionism
and The People’s Daily describing the White Paper as “harbouring evil intentions.” This consistent message is not a surprise
given that these news organs are closely linked to the Chinese
government. In any case, such rhetoric is not new, as Beijing often
invokes anti-Japanese sentiment in order to boost nationalism and
collective identity as the CCP continues to shift into its
post-communist identity. Similarly, Japan uses the spectre of China
to bolster support amongst conservatives, but also more liberal
voters who oppose China’s human rights record.
| Photo Credit: BBC |
While
resistance from Beijing is expected, what is of interest is that
alongside China, South Korea is also criticizing Japan, as the White
Paper pronounced – with certainty – Japan’s position on the
territorial dispute surrounding Dokdo/Takeshima island. Both South
Korea and Japan claim ownership over the island, part of a
longstanding territorial dispute that has been largely eclipsed by
the more prominent Sino-Japanese disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu
islands further south. Seoul has been angered as a map in the White
Paper shows the island in question labelled only as Takeshima,
despite the fact that South Korea currently exercises sovereignty
over the outcropping. Moreover, another map clearly delineates the
borders of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), despite the boundaries
still being negotiated over with Seoul.
resistance from Beijing is expected, what is of interest is that
alongside China, South Korea is also criticizing Japan, as the White
Paper pronounced – with certainty – Japan’s position on the
territorial dispute surrounding Dokdo/Takeshima island. Both South
Korea and Japan claim ownership over the island, part of a
longstanding territorial dispute that has been largely eclipsed by
the more prominent Sino-Japanese disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu
islands further south. Seoul has been angered as a map in the White
Paper shows the island in question labelled only as Takeshima,
despite the fact that South Korea currently exercises sovereignty
over the outcropping. Moreover, another map clearly delineates the
borders of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), despite the boundaries
still being negotiated over with Seoul.
Notes:
12013
defence spending numbers for both countries as reported by
International Institute for Strategic Studies. Estimates of China’s
actual defence spending are difficult and vary, with the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute claiming Chinese defence
spending to be $188 billion. The accompanying charts in the post
further highlight this range of estimates.