China’s Rise = Remilitarizing Japan? -- John Hemmings, The Diplomat

China’s Rise = Remilitarizing Japan? -- John Hemmings, The Diplomat

Last year was a bad one for China’s soft power. Will Japan’s response prompt a dangerous spiral of arms spending—and spark conflict?

Saying publicly for the first time what they’ve thought privately for years, Japanese defence planners in December announced a new defence posture that fingered China’s military rise as justification for a new, more proactive approach, including a refocusing of forces from Japan’s north to its southernmost islands.

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