China’s military build-up “could have a serious impact” on Japan’s security, Tokyo’s defence ministry has warned amid spiralling tensions with Beijing.
Japan had closely monitored People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activities stretching across the first island chain, the ministry said in a report released on Thursday.
“[China] is broadly and rapidly strengthening its military capabilities, centred on its maritime and air forces as well as its nuclear and missile forces … Its active military activities have created a situation that could have a serious impact on Japan’s security,” the report said.
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The document’s release comes amid soaring tensions between the neighbours over Tokyo’s stance on Taiwan, in addition to long-time sparring over defence spending and decades of friction triggered by wartime history and territorial disputes.
Japan, which says China’s 2025 defence budget is more than four times its own, is reportedly eyeing a significant bump in military spending for the coming year.
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A Kyodo report last week citing government sources said Japan aimed to boost its 2026 defence budget to over 9 trillion yen (US$57.2 billion). If confirmed, it would exceed this year’s record 8.7 trillion yen.