East China Sea Military Diplomacy

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japan's Failure to Match Words with Deeds Cannot Dispel the International Community's Concerns About Japan's 'Remilitarization'

外交部：日方言行不一无法化解国际社会对日本“再军事化”的担忧

PLA Daily (解放军报) 26 May 2026

Summary

MFA Spokesperson Mao Ning, at the May 26 regular press conference, rejected Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary's claim that Tokyo's 'exclusively defensive defense' policy remains intact, cataloguing eight specific Japanese defense posture changes — budget expansion, lethal weapons export relaxation, long-range missile deployment, counterstrike capability development, nuclear material stockpiling, and constitutional revision efforts — as evidence of 'remilitarization.' The statement documents Beijing's current public framing of Japan's defense buildup as a legitimacy problem rather than a bilateral dispute, positioning China as spokesperson for a broader 'international community' concern. This fits the established pattern of Chinese diplomatic messaging that reframes Japanese defense normalization as historical regression, but the specificity of the eight-point list extends that pattern by providing a consolidated rhetorical inventory Beijing can deploy against individual Japanese policy moves.

Translation

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 26 (Reporters Shao Yibo, Sun Nan) — Regarding recent statements by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary that Japan's policy of 'exclusively defensive defense' (専守防衛) remains unchanged and that China's characterization of Japan as a 'new form of militarism' (新型军国主义) is unfounded, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mao Ning stated at the regular press conference on the 26th that in recent years the Japanese government has continuously expanded its military budget, relaxed restrictions on the export of lethal weapons, frequently participated in military exercises, advanced the deployment of long-range missiles, developed so-called 'counterstrike capabilities' (反击能力) capable of offensive action, stockpiled large quantities of sensitive nuclear materials, pushed to revise the pacifist constitution, and advocated becoming a 'war-capable' (能战) state, repeatedly breaking through the constraints of both international law and domestic law. Can this really be called adhering to an unchanged policy of 'exclusively defensive defense'? Failure to match words with deeds cannot dispel the international community's concerns about Japan's 'remilitarization' (再军事化). We urge the Japanese side to draw lessons from history, honor its commitments to peace, and win the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.

Original Chinese

新华社北京5月26日电（记者邵艺博、孙楠）就日本内阁官房长官近日称日本“专守防卫”政策不变，中方关于日本“新型军国主义”说法不成立，外交部发言人毛宁26日在例行记者会上答问时表示，近年来日本政府不断扩充军费、放宽杀伤性武器出口、频频参加军演、推进部署远程导弹、打造能够主动进攻的所谓“反击能力”、囤积大量敏感核材料、推动修改和平宪法、鼓吹成为“能战”国家，不断突破国际法、国内法的规制。这难道就是坚持“专守防卫”政策不变吗？言行不一无法化解国际社会对日本“再军事化”的担忧。我们敦促日方汲取历史教训，恪守和平承诺，以实际行动取信于亚洲邻国和国际社会。