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Japan Declares China’s Military Expansion Its Gravest Postwar Challenge

Tokyo’s annual assessment spotlights China’s intensified military activity near the southwest islands, outlining steps to strengthen Japan’s defenses.

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An aerial photo shows Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 66 (top) trying to approach a Japanese fishing boat (bottom) as Japan Coast Guard vessel Ishigaki cruises next to the Chinese ship, in the East China Sea, near what are known as the Senkaku isles in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, in this photo taken on April 23, 2013.
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Overview

  • The 2025 defense white paper formally identifies China’s rapid military buildup as Japan’s most serious strategic challenge since World War II.
  • Chinese naval transits off southwestern Japan have tripled over three years and PLA operations now extend beyond the first island chain into the Pacific.
  • Two separate encounters in the East China Sea saw Chinese JH-7 fighter-bombers close to within 30 m and 60 m of a Japanese YS-11 intelligence aircraft.
  • The report warns of growing China-Russia joint drills near Japan and describes North Korea’s advance of nuclear-capable missiles as an increasingly imminent threat.
  • To counter these risks, Japan will raise defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2027, deploy long-range cruise missiles on its southwestern islands and deepen U.S. and regional security partnerships.