East China Sea Doctrine

Sharp Words | Japan's Accelerating Military Pivot Betrays Its Peace Constitution

锐言丨日本加速军事转向背离和平宪法

PLA Daily (解放军报) 8 August 2026

Summary

A University of International Relations author writing in a PLA-adjacent commentary series (installment 22 of a running series on 新型军国主义, 'new-type militarism') attacks Japan's August 4 Defense White Paper — the first under Prime Minister Takaichi — as evidence that Japan is systematically dismantling its Peace Constitution through record defense spending now at 2% of GDP, an expanded defense-industrial chapter, and a media strategy that uses animation and children's editions to normalize rearmament. The piece fits a sustained PRC official-media effort to delegitimize Japan's defense buildup by framing it as historically continuous with 1930s militarism; its analytical value is as a record of how Chinese security institutions are constructing and repeating that narrative for domestic and international audiences, not as evidence of Japanese policy.

Translation

Japan's Accelerating Military Pivot Betrays Its Peace Constitution

— A Warning Against the Real Threat of Japan's "New-Type Militarism" (新型军国主义) ㉒

■ Xie Ruochu

On August 4, Japan's Ministry of Defense officially released the new edition of its Defense White Paper. This is the first Defense White Paper issued since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office. Whether measured by its record length of 598 pages, its brazen use of false narratives to hype so-called "peripheral security threats," or its efforts to strengthen military power across dimensions including new-type operations, the defense industrial base, and the capability to strike enemy bases, this white paper exposes Japan as undergoing a systematic military pivot unprecedented since World War II.

Surveying the new white paper in full, what the world must be vigilant about is not only Japan's concrete actions such as purchasing and developing offensive weapons, but also Japan's audacious ambition to normalize its "new-type militarism" course as the new standard of national operation.

Building on its claim that Japan faces "the most severe and complex security environment since the end of the war," the new white paper continues to define China as "the greatest strategic challenge ever, unprecedented in scale," and deliberately stirs up controversy over China's routine military activities and legitimate national defense development. This false narrative is designed to lend a veneer of legitimacy to the pursuit of "new-type militarism" policies. The new white paper also emphasizes that Japan has met ahead of schedule its target of defense spending at 2% of GDP, and proposes to continue expanding the defense budget by using the year-end revision of the "Three Security Documents" (安保三文件) as a lever. In addition, the new white paper elevates "strengthening the defense production and technology base" to a standalone chapter and substantially expands the relevant content, attempting to use pretexts such as the claim that developing the defense industry can "drive economic growth" to disguise dangerous moves including expanding joint research and development of weapons and equipment, promoting the export of lethal weapons, and blurring the boundaries between dual-use military-civilian technologies.

In promoting the new white paper, Japan has adopted a strategy that combines animation, internationalization, and targeting of young audiences, concealing the true nature of a document about military expansion and armament. In addition to an animated cover, Japan has used methods such as releasing animated promotional videos for the new white paper on mainstream social media platforms and having AI virtual cartoon characters provide commentary, so as to soften its military character; producing videos summarizing the key points of the new white paper in Chinese and English to expand its international influence; and continuing to compile a children's edition of the Defense White Paper, with printed physical copies mailed to the national elementary school system, persistently poisoning the minds of children and youth.

The new white paper inevitably calls to mind the Fundamentals of National Policy (《国策基准》) document passed in 1936 during Japan's period of external aggression and expansion. In terms of core objectives, the new white paper seeks to drive national strategic transformation and build a "military state" (军事国家) — a course that differs from the Fundamentals of National Policy's shift of Japan's external aggression and expansion strategy from "gradual encroachment" to "wholesale annexation" only in degree, not in essential nature. In terms of the direction of military development, both the new white paper and the Fundamentals of National Policy seek to acquire combat forces capable of contending with major adversaries. In terms of institutional development, the new white paper advocates "whole-of-Japan coordinated response" (日本全体协作应对), while the Fundamentals of National Policy demanded comprehensive mobilization of the nation's material and spiritual strength — the two are cast from the same mold. By comparison, the military expansion policies currently pursued by the Takaichi government indicate that Japan has already deviated from the development path established by the Peace Constitution and is seeking to build a "wartime system" (战时体制) capable of mobilizing the nation's overall strength.

Although Japan publicly declares in international forums that it adheres to "exclusively defensive defense" (专守防卫) and upholds "peaceful development," the new white paper's attempt to orient the economy, science and technology, and even social cognition around military requirements severely erodes existing commitments and highlights the hypocrisy of Japan's right-wing politicians. Japan is transforming from the "peaceful nation" it proclaimed itself to be in the postwar era into a "military state," and "new-type militarism" is gaining momentum and becoming a menace. All peace-loving peoples of the world should maintain the highest vigilance and resolutely resist this.

(The author is affiliated with the University of International Relations.)

Original Chinese

日本加速军事转向背离和平宪法 ——警惕日本“新型军国主义”的现实威胁㉒ ■谢若初 8月4日，日本防卫省正式发布新版《防卫白皮书》。这是日本首相高市早苗上台以来发布的首份《防卫白皮书》。无论是598页的历史最长篇幅，还是以虚假叙事大肆渲染所谓“周边安全威胁”，抑或是从新型作战、军工基础、对敌基地攻击能力等维度加强军事力量，这份白皮书都暴露出日本正进行二战后前所未有的系统性军事转向。综观新版白皮书，值得世人警惕的，不只是日本购入与研发进攻性武器等具体行动，还有日本企图使“新型军国主义”路线成为国家运行新常态的狂妄。新版白皮书在宣称日本面临“战后最严峻、最复杂的安全环境”的基础上，继续将中国定义为“前所未有的最大战略挑战”，对中国的常规军事活动及正当国防建设说三道四、刻意炒作。此种虚假叙事意在为推行“新型军国主义”政策披上合法外衣。新版白皮书还强调日本已提前达到防务开支占国内生产总值2%的目标，并提出将以年底修订“安保三文件”为抓手，继续扩大防卫预算。此外，新版白皮书把“强化防卫生产与技术基础”升格为独立章节，并大幅增加相关内容，试图以发展军工产业能“带动经济发展”等为说辞，掩饰日本扩大武器装备联合研发、推动杀伤性武器出口、模糊军民两用技术界限等危险动作。在对新版白皮书宣传上，日本采取了一套集动漫化、国际化、低龄化于一体的策略，掩盖扩军备武文件的本质。除了漫画封面，日本还通过在主流社交媒体平台发布动漫风格的新版白皮书宣传短片、人工智能虚拟漫画角色解说等方式，弱化其军事色彩；制作中英文版新版白皮书要点解读视频，以扩大国际影响力；继续编制儿童版《防卫白皮书》，并将印制实体版本向全国小学系统寄送，持续荼毒少年儿童。新版白皮书不禁让人联想起，1936年日本对外侵略扩张时期通过的《国策基准》文件。在核心目标上，新版白皮书谋求推动国家战略转型，构建“军事国家”，这与《国策基准》将日本对外侵略扩张战略从“蚕食”调整为“鲸吞”的行为，只有程度之分，并无本质之别。在军力发展方向上，新版白皮书与《国策基准》都谋求获得能够与主要对手相抗衡的作战力量。在体制建设上，新版白皮书鼓吹“日本全体协作应对”，《国策基准》则要求实现对国家物质和精神力量的全面动员，二者如出一辙。对比之下，当前高市早苗政府推行的扩军政策表明，日本已经背离和平宪法确立的发展路线，正寻求建立一套能够动员国家整体力量的“战时体制”。尽管日本在国际场合宣称恪守“专守防卫”、坚持“和平发展”等，但新版白皮书企图让经济、科技，乃至社会认知都围绕军事需求展开，严重侵蚀既有承诺，凸显日本右翼政客的虚伪。日本正从战后标榜的“和平国家”转变为“军事国家”，“新型军国主义”成势为患，全世界爱好和平的人民对此应保持高度警惕和坚决抵制。（作者单位：国际关系学院）