China warns against resurgence of Japanese militarism

CGTN – China will never allow Japanese militarism to resurface, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said recent developments in Japan point to a growing trend of “new militarism,” which poses a real threat.

Guo said that historically, Japanese militarism launched wars of aggression by fabricating so-called external threats, stirring nationalism and mobilizing state machinery, in the process committing serious crimes that brought immense suffering to people across the Asia-Pacific region.

He noted that today, right-wing forces in Japan have failed to reflect on that history, while continuing to push security policies in a more offensive and expansionist direction. Efforts are also being made to rebuild the military-industrial complex in a bid to accelerate the country’s remilitarization.

Guo stressed that Japan has also been actively lobbying abroad in an attempt to distort facts and restore its long-discredited image as a “peaceful nation.” He said a series of actions, including attempts to revise the pacifist constitution, ease rules on the export of lethal weapons, deploy offensive missile systems and significantly increase military spending, reflect its underlying intention of advancing military expansion.

He added that Japan has stepped up interactions with NATO, an effort to bring extra-regional military forces into the Asia-Pacific and fuel confrontation.

Guo said that regional countries, including China, must remain highly vigilant and jointly safeguard the outcomes of World War II, warning against any attempt to revive militarism or undermine regional peace and stability.