Japan’s New Security Strategy Lists China’s Communist Party As ‘The Greatest Strategic Challenge Ever’

It is reported on December 13th that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito reached a consensus on the revision of three defense documents, including the National Security Strategy (NSS). The revised NSS describes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as “the greatest strategic challenge of all time” instead from “a matter of concern to the international community” in the original version. This is the first emendation since Japan formulated its security strategy in 2013. The new version of the NSS clearly states that Japan will have counterattack capabilities to attack enemy missile bases, which is a major shift in Japan’s security policy since World War II. Furthermore, the updated NSS also notes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the tense Taiwan Strait situation in the record, highlighting Japan’s necessity to respond and build independent defense capabilities without over depending on the U.S. military. In line with the new NSS, the Japanese government will also finalize other relevant revisions to the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Force Readiness Plan this week. In addition, the reports stated that the revision in Japan’s security policy has led to an adjustment in the defense budget, which will total 43 trillion yen ($317 billion) over next 5 years from 2023 to 2027, a 1.5 times increase of the current 5-year defense plan budget.