Japan Draft Defense White Paper Shows Serious Concern On Russian Invasion Impact
The draft of Japan's annual defense white paper refers to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It stresses that similar events should never occur in the Indo-Pacific region.
The draft white paper has a new section to discuss the Russian invasion. It says unilateral attempts to forcibly change the status quo cannot be tolerated and would shake the foundation of the international order.
The draft says Japan will closely watch the situation with serious concern as the development may bring changes to Russia's international influence and cooperation with China, and could impact US-China relations.
The draft also says Japan will keep a close eye on Taiwan with an increasing sense of tension because the cross-strait military balance is changing in favor of Beijing.
It positions North Korea as a grave and pressing threat. Defense officials say Pyongyang is unilaterally escalating provocation by frequently launching ballistic missiles this year, including ICBM-class ones.
The draft touches on the National Security Strategy and other defense policies, which are to be revised by the end of this year. It says all alternatives will be discussed, including the so-called "enemy base strike capability." It adds that Japan is working to speed up the strengthening of defense capabilities, which includes an increase of the defense budget.
The defense white paper will be presented to the Cabinet and published as early as July.