Tokyo’s latest defense report signals Beijing is reshaping the Indo-Pacific order, and the shift will push Washington and Tokyo to forcefully counter the Chinese regime’s growing assertiveness, according to experts.
China’s external posture, military activities, and other activities present “an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan, the 2026 defense white paper released on Aug. 4 states.
It notes that the regime has sustained “high-level growth of its defense budget without transparency.”
Beijing has been intensifying operations in the region around Japan, including the East China Sea and along the First Island Chain—a strategic defense line stretching from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines….
China Reshaping Indo-Pacific Poses Irreversible Threat to Japan: Analysts
