Rearmament of Japan, a threat to itself

According to Article 9 of the 1947 constitution, drawn up by Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara under the supervision of SCAP, Japan forever renounces war as a tool for settling international disputes and declares that Japan will never again maintain “land, sea, or air forces.” or other war potential.

Since then, Japan has become the world’s third-largest economy and America’s strongest ally in the Pacific. But so far it has resisted any suggestion to rearm.

However, by 2027, Japan plans to carry out its biggest weapons buildup since World War II in a race to dissuade Beijing from war in East Asia, Japanese government officials and security analysts have said.

The rise of China as a world economic power and its behavior in the South and East China Sea, where it has maritime and territorial disputes with Japan, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries and which has announced plans to reintegrate Taiwan to the mainland and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has provided the greatest impetus for Japan to review its security and defense policy.

The government “has a tailwind and will use it to do whatever it can,” said Takashi Kawakami, a professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo. By signaling that 2027 is the time when the East Asian balance of power may tip in China’s favor, Japan’s government can rally support for more defense spending.

Japan’s ruling party has long wanted to amend the constitution to remove restrictions on its military, but has been unable to muster enough public support.

Even such a modest program, financially speaking, is beyond the means of today’s Japanese economy and cannot be carried out without American help.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Japan was using China as a pretext for a military buildup.

“Japan’s political forces have repeatedly used China as an excuse to deliberately exaggerate regional tensions. By doing so, the Japanese side is only looking for excuses to strengthen its own army and expand it.”