Japan on Tuesday adopted a new national security strategy and decided to bolster its defense spending and capabilities to counter an increasingly assertive China, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to raise Japan's standing as a contributor to global peace and security.
The national security strategy approved by the Cabinet states Japan will seek more "proactive" security roles abroad for the Self-Defense Forces and will set new guidelines on arms exports, signaling a major shift from the country's previous restrictive policy.
With China's influence growing in the Asia-Pacific region relative to that of the United States, the strategy attaches importance to a strong Japan-U.S. security alliance as a counterbalance to stem security threats to Japan.
The budget for the next five years from fiscal 2014 stands at 24.67 trillion yen, up from 23.49 trillion yen in the previous five-year plan, as Tokyo seeks to obtain "dynamic" defense power by integrating SDF operations and setting up an amphibious unit like U.S. Marines.
Japan criticizes China for its attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas in a "coercive" manner and for posing a concern not only to Japan but also other countries.
After China's recent declaration of an air defense zone in the East China Sea raised international alarm, Japan describes Beijing's activities as being "incompatible with the existing order of international law" and calls for self-restraint.
"The security strategy is designed to make our foreign and security policy clear and transparent both at home and abroad," Prime Minister Abe told reporters. "We will do our part in contributing further to global peace and security."
Security concerns about China's activities in the region have stayed at the forefront under Abe, who is trying to redefine Japan's defense posture and revise the U.S.-drafted pacifist Constitution.
Tokyo and Beijing have been at odds over the sovereignty of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, with Abe seeking dialogue to build relations that are "mutually beneficial." China claims the uninhabited islets as Diaoyu.
Japan is also mired in a dispute over Takeshima, a group of South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan. Tokyo says in the strategy it will make "persevering" diplomatic efforts to solve the issue in a peaceful manner.
The strategy also touches on patriotism, a sensitive issue both at home and abroad due to Japan's wartime past, and says Japan will foster "love for the country." The document will be used as the basis for policymaking on diplomacy and defense at the newly launched National Security Council.
Beijing and Seoul were quick to criticize Tokyo and expressed dissatisfaction with Tokyo's new security strategy and defense plans.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged Japan to "seriously reflect on its past history" of militarism and respect the concerns of its Asian neighbors.
Japan should not make an "empty" promise but take "real action" for the peace and stability in the region, she said when asked about the new strategy at a press conference.
In Seoul, South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Japan should "stop the claims and face up to the truth of history."
To reinforce Japan's new national security strategy, the Cabinet approved a five-year defense buildup plan and 10-year defense program guidelines aimed at strengthening control over the Senkakus and other remote islands.
Japan will purchase three drones, 17 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft that can transport goods and troops, and early warning and air refueling airplanes.
The list also includes 99 canon-equipped "maneuver combat vehicles" that can be airlifted to remote islands and move faster than conventional tanks, and 28 F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The SDF will dispatch an observation unit to the Nansei Island chain and will increase troops at the Air Self-Defense Force's Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, home to the bulk of U.S. military bases in Japan and seen as strategically important in view of China's military buildup.
"We are deeply concerned about China's stance that can be described as coercive," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said in a statement. "Japan will prepare a defense power that is highly effective and responsive."
To counter threats posed by North Korea's missile development, Japan will obtain two Aegis ships that can track ballistic missiles and "closely monitor" the domestic situation as the regime of Kim Jong Un takes hold.
Tokyo maintains its firm stance over North Korea's missile and nuclear development, urging Pyongyang to return all Japanese nationals abducted in the 1970s and 1980s.
The strategy and the defense package do not refer to what could be controversial issues in Japan -- whether to lift the country's self-imposed ban on exercising the right of collective self-defense, and whether Japan should have the ability to attack an enemy base.
==Kyodo