Japan Defense Minister Fires Back at China Over 'New Militarism' Charges at Shangri-La Dialogue
Japan's defense minister delivered a pointed rebuttal to China on Sunday, doubling down on Tokyo's pledge to strengthen its military despite persistent criticism from Beijing over Japan's increasingly assertive security posture.
Speaking at the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pushed back against China's characterization of Japan's defense shift as "new militarism," calling the allegation "nothing could be further from the truth."
"Think about it. There is a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers," Koizumi said, without naming China directly. "Japan has neither of such weapons. And yet, Japan is labelled as 'new militarism'. Isn't it strange?"
Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan has accelerated its pivot toward a more proactive defense policy, gradually shedding the pacifist stance it has maintained since World War II—a shift encouraged by Washington. Beijing has repeatedly accused Tokyo of reckless "new militarism" that could destabilize the region.
China, which is believed to possess hundreds of nuclear warheads and has rapidly expanded its military capabilities in recent years, has bristled at Japan's defense buildup. Koizumi said China's military expansion lacked "sufficient transparency" and called its activities "a matter of serious concern for Japan."
The diplomatic friction between the two Asian powers has been simmering since Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily if China attempted to seize Taiwan—the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory. In response, Koizumi reaffirmed Tokyo's commitment to steadily build up its defense capabilities with high transparency, including investments in artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cyber defense, and space security.
"Japan's past as a peace-loving nation has been valued by the region and by the international community. This fact will not be shaken by false claims, because it is a fact," Koizumi said.
Maritime disputes and the Philippines
On the sidelines of the forum, Koizumi met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. According to a Philippine statement, the two countries confirmed that Japan would transfer Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to Manila by Japan's fiscal year 2027. The Philippines has long sought the Abukuma-class vessels, which Tokyo is retiring, and sent a military team to inspect them in 2025.
The deepening defense ties between Japan and the Philippines come against the backdrop of China's expanding naval ambitions in the South China Sea. The two nations recently announced plans to discuss intelligence-sharing and open maritime border talks—moves that Beijing has condemned as an "illegal" violation of its extensive territorial claims.
Teodoro singled out China's activities in the South China Sea for criticism, saying Manila "will not sacrifice our territorial integrity and sovereignty because our constitution does not allow us." He added, "To do so would be to subvert the popular, democratic and free mandate that the people gave our political leaders, unlike some autocratic systems where the mandate comes from above, dictated down."
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. As Teodoro spoke, China's People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command issued a statement saying it had "conducted combat readiness patrols" in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal—the site of a long-running territorial dispute with the Philippines. The patrols were described as "an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts" around the shoal, which Beijing considers "an inherent part of China's territory."
The Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense forum, bringing together security officials and experts from more than 45 countries. Notably, China sent a reduced delegation for the second consecutive year, without its defense minister, Dong Jun. Koizumi expressed regret, saying he was "feeling sad that we were unable to have the opportunity to have a meeting this time."
The exchange underscores the deepening mistrust between Japan and China, as Tokyo continues to bolster its military capabilities and forge closer security partnerships with regional allies—a trend likely to shape the security landscape in the Indo-Pacific for years to come.