On Mar 20, 2023, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for the media before their delegation level meeting in New Delhi, India. After meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tokyo on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida started a two-day visit to India. He had earlier met with the Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday. His busy diplomatic schedule would not be in the spotlight if these meetings were meant to promote peace and development in the region.
There is no secret that Japan's diplomatic moves are part of the Indo-Pacific strategy of the United States to contain China.
By talking about China's assertiveness in pressing its maritime territorial claims, Kishida tried to make the case that China poses a threat not only to Japan's security but also to the region. This is just a verbatim refurgitation of Washington's line that exposes the strings behind Japan's moves.
With such a pretext, Japan is trying to kill two birds with one stone: act as a weapon of the US in its strategy to contain the rise of China and thus strengthen its own influence in the region, and justify its moves to expand its military capability.
Japan's defense budget for 2023 will be $51.4 billion, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, and spending on defense will double in the next five years, according to the Japanese government.
The Kishida government has announced a plan to purchase 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US as part of a plan to bolster the preemptive strike capability of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
It goes without saying that Japan is accelerating its efforts to jettison Article 9 of its Constitution with the excuse that the country faces the most severe and complex security environment since World War II. It is ironic that it is Japan's military expansion and willingness to act as an accomplice of the US geopolitical strategy that has become the main source of instability in the region.
Japan's regaining of military capability is far beyond the needs of its self-defense and poses a threat to regional peace and stability, given what the militarist Japan did to its neighbors before and during World War II.
Japan is due to host the G 7 Summit in Hiroshima in May, and Kishida's busy diplomatic activities are meant to raise Japan's profile as a major power.
Japan has a lot to do with its ambition to be a bigger player on the world stage. It needs to expand its military capability for that purpose, but that doesn't mean it needs to expand its military capability. Nor is it necessary for Japan to act as a pawn of the US in the latter's geopolitical strategy.
The government of Kishida is not doing anything to promote peace and development in the region. It is acting as a bridgehead for forces from other parts of the world, including NATO, to interfere in the affairs of Asia.