(ECNS) --Recently, Japanese government officials worshiped the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II alongside the war dead, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering. Coupled with moves to revise the Constitution for allowing lethal weapons export and restore the rank titles of Self-Defense Forces officers, these moves have raised serious concerns. Japan's military buildup has entered a more aggressive phase.
These moves reflect a shift in Japan's security policy from defense to offense, said Chen Zilei, president of the Shanghai Association for Japanese Studies and director of the Japanese Economic Research Center at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, in an exclusive interview with China News Network. He warned that vigilance is needed against a possible resurgence of militarism in Japan.
Chen noted that Takaichi has constantly used various means to provide political compensation to right-wing forces in Japan. By stoking confrontation with countries such as China and South Korea over historical issues, she seeks to consolidate support from internal right-wing groups and strengthen her political base.
At the same time, heightened tensions between Japan and its neighboring countries help Washington maintain greater control over Tokyo, and allow the United States to leverage Japan to stir up the situation in East Asia—an outcome the U.S. is willing to see, Chen said.
Chen further pointed out that Takaichi's campaign slogan, "Japan is back," combined with the April 21 revisions to "three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology" and their implementation guidelines, clearly signals her policy direction—the growing rise of neo-militarist forces in Japan.
Looking back at Japan's gradual efforts to break free from the constraints of its postwar pacifist constitution, Chen explained that the origins of these principles can be traced back to the 1967 "Three Principles on Arms Exports" introduced under then-Prime Minister Eisaku Sato.
The 1967 principles prohibited arms exports to socialist countries, countries subject to "arms" exports embargo under the UN resolutions, and countries involved in or likely to be involved in international conflicts.
In 1976, then- Prime Minister Takeo Miki's administration revised the 1967 principles, creating a near-total ban on arms exports and reflecting Japan's postwar pacifist stance at that time.
However, with the rise of right-wing forces, Japan has gradually loosened these restrictions. In 1983, it began allowing the transfer of military technology to the United States.
In 2014, by replacing the original arms export ban with the current framework, the Japanese government permitted Japan to export defense equipment and technology across five non-combat categories, signaling a fundamental shift from arms exports being "prohibited in principle" to "permitted in principle." Chen said this move signaled Japan's intent to hollow out its pacifist constitution and push forward strategic transformation beyond legal constraints.
In 2022, these principles were further revised in response to the Ukraine Crisis, during which Japan provided equipment such as bulletproof vests to Ukraine.
Subsequently, in 2023, Japan approved the re-export of Patriot air defense missiles to the United States. In 2024, Japan also relaxed rules on jointly developed defense equipment, allowing next-generation fighter jets developed with the United Kingdom and Italy to be exported directly to third countries, removing key barriers to the export of large-scale offensive weapons.
On April 21, 2026, Japan scraped rules that had limited Japan's defense equipment exports to five non-combat categories, namely rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping. Chen noted that this marks a shift from incremental adjustments to rapid expansion, representing another step down the dangerous path of neo-militarism. It also signifies the complete end of the 1976 ban.
Looking back at history, Chen said that Japan's current approach bears striking similarities to the path leading up to Japan's war of aggression against China in the past. He argued that revising these principles is intended to promote remilitarization by fueling a regional arms race and escalating geopolitical tensions, thereby lending support to neo-militarism.
Chen emphasized that these moves Such actions seriously pose a serious challenge to the regional security order, and undermine regional peace and cooperation, as well as the mutual trust among countries that has developed under the framework of reginal economic integration.
He said that China remains committed to safeguarding world peace and development, firmly upholding multilateralism and the international order. At the same time, China must resolutely fight separatist forces aimed at "Taiwan independence" and oppose interference by external forces. China will work with peace-loving countries to curb the rise of neo-militarism in Japan.
三四线城市贡献增至近六成！龙年春节档票房创新高，也有公司被烫伤 春节档票房之争基本落下帷幕，龙年电影市场迎来开门红。 2月18日消息，根据国家电影局初步统计，2024年春节假期(2月10日至2月17日)全国电影票房为8 2月19日至22日，以“文化艺术交流中俄世代友好”为主题的中俄文化艺术交流周暨冰雪旅游消费季活动在黑龙江省鹤岗市举行，由160名俄罗斯青少年组成的代表团应邀来到鹤岗，与中国青少年开展了一系列 新华社记者熊轩昂春风送暖，阳光和煦。2月21日上午，昆明市2024年“春风行动”暨“春暖农民工”服务行动专场招聘会在南坝人力资源市场举行。记者在现场走访观察到：参加招聘会的企业涉及领域广，涵盖智能制 新华社南昌2月22日电（记者刘佳敏）“江西银河表计有限公司招普工50名，薪资大约4200至4800元。这个公司离立新很近，你有空可以去参观一下。”近日，在九江市永修县立新乡黄婆井村的招聘会现场，村干部和志愿者 为降低新一轮低温雨雪冰冻天气对农业生产带来的影响，湖北省沙洋县农业农村局组织技术服务指导组深入田间地头，重点围绕蔬菜大棚、油菜等主打产业，开展防冻避灾、病虫防控等全程技术指导服务，最大限度减少 自然资源部：22个省级国土空间规划已获批准实施 中新社北京2月22日电 (记者 庞无忌)中国正加速推进各级国土空间规划编制实施。 中国自然资源部22日透露，截至目前，所有省级和新疆生产建设兵团国土空间规划均已 。本文链接：Insights | Japan's shift away from postwar pacifist constitution raises fears of neo-militarism: exphttp://www.sushuapos.com/show-5-101116-0.html
声明：本网站为非营利性网站，本网页内容由互联网博主自发贡献，不代表本站观点，本站不承担任何法律责任。天上不会到馅饼，请大家谨防诈骗！若有侵权等问题请及时与本网联系，我们将在第一时间删除处理。