Japan issued an alarming warning regarding East Asia’s security environment on Thursday, declaring that China, North Korea and Russia now pose the greatest challenge to regional peace and global stability since World War II’s end.
Japan recently issued its annual Defense White Paper and in it highlighted concerns such as rising tensions in Taiwan Strait, North Korea’s repeated missile tests, and growing military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing as top priorities needing a robust response from Japan and its allies.
“Japan faces an unprecedented and complex security environment,” noted Defense Minister Minoru Kihara at a press briefing in Tokyo. “China, North Korea and Russia posed by their individual and combined strategic behavior represent one of the greatest threats to Japan’s security since 1945.”
This document highlights several developments which have alarmed Tokyo, such as:
China has increased military pressure on Taiwan while entering Japan’s air and maritime zones – particularly around the disputed Senkaku Islands.
North Korea continues to demonstrate advances in nuclear weapon technology, including testing a hypersonic missile capable of reaching U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam.
Russia is conducting increasingly frequent military exercises near Japanese territory and conducting joint naval patrols with China in both the East China Sea and Pacific Ocean.
The white paper highlights that China, North Korea, and Russia’s trilateral cooperation is more than symbolic; rather it represents an intentional strategy to subvert the existing international order. Authoritarian powers increasingly rely on force to achieve strategic goals; this undermines norms established after World War II.
“Deterrence alone is no longer sufficient,” according to Retired Admiral Keiji Fukumura, now senior advisor on Japan’s National Security Council. “We must prepare for multi-theater threats, hybrid warfare and concurrent crises.”
Japan is taking steps to modernize its defenses quickly in response, including developing counterstrike capabilities, expanding cyber defense units and purchasing long-range missiles. They have also raised their defense budget above 2% of GDP — breaking decades of postwar pacifist restraint.
Japan’s response to US tensions focuses heavily on its strategic alliance. The white paper calls for greater interoperability, more joint exercises, and deeper intelligence sharing between Tokyo and Washington; as well as with regional partners like South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.
Beijing, Pyongyang and Moscow reacted swiftly.
China’s Foreign Ministry denounced Japan’s report as Cold War thinking and accused Japan of inflaming regional tensions. North Korea termed its white paper provocative “nonsense”, while Russian officials saw Japan’s statements as distorting reality.
Japanese officials assert that their security environment requires clarity and action taken promptly.
“To maintain peace, strength, unity, and resolve are required,” Minister Kihara stated. “This isn’t about confrontation; this is about survival.”
As geopolitical tensions widen across East Asia, Japan’s warning resounds loud and clear: the time for passive defense has ended and strategic realism must now prevail.