Asia & Pacific
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi asks a question to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 30, 2026. (Reuters/Edgar Su)
Japan's defense minister took a veiled swipe at China on Sunday, pledging to keep strengthening the military despite Beijing's criticism of Tokyo's increasingly muscular security stance.Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan has quickened its pivot towards a more proactive defense policy, further shaking off – with US encouragement – its pacifist outlook in place since the end of World War II.
The change has drawn frequent rebukes from Beijing, which has accused Tokyo of following a reckless policy of "new militarism" that could destabilize the region.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi hit back on Sunday, saying "nothing could be further from the truth".
