Abe’s defence plans vex China

Beijing has warned Japan against dropping its long-time “defence only” policy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to step up Japan’s military capability. Picture: AP

Beijing has warned Japan against dropping its long-time “defence only” policy, and criticised claims that the increase in Japan’s defenc­e budget was needed to counter threats from China.

This week the Abe cabinet approve­d new National Defence Program Guidelines and plans for a 10 per cent increase in its ­defence budget over the next five years.

The program includes plans to buy more than 100 extra US-built F-35 stealth fighter jets and conver­t Japan’s two largest navy ships to become aircraft carriers.

This is despite Japan’s US-drafted official constitution, adopted in 1946, which declares that the country will never be involve­d in military activity against any other country.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying this week attacked comments about the potential threat from China in the new defence ­guidelines as making “false claims”.

“They are making irrespons­ible remarks and levying groundless accusations on China’s normal national defence building and military activities, inciting the so-called ‘China threat’ with Cold War mentality,” she said.

“Such moves by the Japanese side are not conducive to the improve­ment and development of China-Japan ties or peace and stability in the region.”

She said countries in the Asian region kept a close eye on Japan’s military activity, “due to what happene­d in history”.

“We urge Japan to keep its commitment to the strategy of ‘purely defensive defence’, adhere to the path of peaceful development and act cautiously in the area of military security,” she said.

Ms Hua said China urged Japan to “earnestly learn lessons from the history”, a reference to its aggression towards China in the late 1800s and its brutal invasio­n in the 1900s.

The guidelines approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet this week are seen as involving some of the most aggressive milit­ary plans by Japan since 1945.

The plans involve upgrading two flat-top Izumo-class destroyers to allow them to launch fighter jets with short takeoff and vertical landing abilities, including the F-35 stealth fighters.

The purchase of more than 100 F-35 fighters could cost as much as $US10 billion ($14bn). They will add to the 42 F-35s Japan already has agreed to buy from the US.

The plans to convert the two destroyers are seen as out of keeping with Japan’s commitment to strictly defensive military roles.

This week’s announcement — and the angry reaction from China — followed Mr Abe’s visit to Beijing last month, which was seen as a groundbreaking move to improve relations between the two Asian economic giants.

But with threats from North Korea and China’s increased milit­ary spending, Mr Abe wants to step up Japan’s military capability and potentially amend the constitution to allow it to operate like a “normal country”.