After China’s delegation to Asia’s top defense forum accused Japan of sliding back toward “militarism,” a group of Taiwanese defense scholars said the label fits Beijing better when comparing the two countries’ militaries.
The exchange took place at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual security summit held in Singapore from May 29 to 31. Maj. Gen. Meng Xiangqing, who led China’s delegation, questioned whether Japan was fit to talk about defense cooperation at all, tying his remarks to the 80th anniversary of the postwar tribunal that prosecuted Japan’s wartime leaders.
Japan’s defense minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, rejected the accusation on the spot. He accused Beijing of expanding its military rapidly and with little transparency, and called China’s external conduct a serious concern for Japan and the wider world….
Beijing’s ‘Militarist’ Label for Japan Fits China Instead, Defense Experts Say
