TOKYO: Japan’s defence ministry said upon Friday (Jul 22) it was alarmed from fresh threats from Russia and had expanding worries about Taiwan, in an annual statement that comes as Tokyo weighs significantly escalating military spending.
The record includes a chapter on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , which it says risks delivering the message “that an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo simply by force is acceptable”.
The paper surveys the global safety landscape and specific threats to Japan, and says there was clearly concern Russia can “further enhance and deepen relationships with China”.
Additionally, it warns that Moscow may increasingly rely on its nuclear capacity as a deterrent, that could in turn mean a good uptick in activity around Japan, where Russian nuclear submarines are routinely active.
Japan provides backed sanctions led by the Usa and the European Union against Moscow, and has observed increased Russian army activity around the territory.
In-may, Chinese and Russian military jets performed joint flights near Japan immediately after a meeting of the US-led Quad grouping within Tokyo.
The defence paper furthermore devotes significant area to Taiwan.
It includes the most comprehensive overview yet of the security situation in the island and notes that “since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan has been focusing on further strengthening the self-defence efforts”.