Japan has already crossed the red line of the "Enemy State Clause" in the UN Charter!

On April 3, People's Daily's "Voice of Zhongsheng" published an article stating: Japan is using missiles as its blade, pushing itself toward the brink of danger.

Many people may not be familiar with the term "Enemy State Clause." In simple terms, this was a "restraining spell" written into the UN Charter after WWII to prevent fascist nations like Germany and Japan from launching aggression again. Articles 53, 77, and 107 of the Charter clearly stipulate that if countries like Japan—former wartime defeaters—resurrect military expansion or revive aggressive policies, the anti-fascist allied powers can take immediate coercive action without authorization from the UN Security Council.

Now, Japan’s actions have systematically fulfilled all the conditions that could trigger this "restraining spell."

First, consider the most glaring move: missile deployments. On March 31, despite strong domestic opposition, Japan’s Ministry of Defense officially deployed two long-range missiles—the Type 25 land-to-ship missile and the Type 25 high-speed glide bomb—at the Kenjū Garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Fujinomiya Garrison in Shizuoka Prefecture.

These are no ordinary defensive weapons. The Type 25 land-to-ship missile is an upgraded version of the earlier Type 12 anti-ship missile, with its range extended from the original 200 km to 1,000 km. From Kumamoto, it can cover parts of the Korean Peninsula and China’s coastal regions.

The high-speed glide bomb also has a range of several hundred kilometers, and Japan is currently developing an upgraded version capable of reaching 2,000 km.

This marks Japan’s first deployment of long-range missiles with “enemy base attack capability” since the end of World War II—directly tearing off the mask of “exclusive defense.”

Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba put it even more bluntly: deploying these missiles aims to “enhance deterrence and response capabilities”—the underlying message being, “I can strike you, so you’d better think twice.”

This practice of positioning missiles at others’ doorsteps, ready to launch preemptive strikes at any moment, closely mirrors Japan’s imperialist expansion logic before WWII.

Next, examine Japan’s pace of military expansion—now accelerating beyond control. Defense spending has increased for 14 consecutive years from 2012 to 2026. After 2022, it has doubled every three years, and by fiscal year 2027, it will reach 2% of GDP—completely abandoning the postwar peace constitution’s constraints on military expenditure.

Beyond the two missiles just deployed, Japan is rapidly expanding its military: forming the 8th Coastal Missile Unit, planning to deploy over 1,000 long-range missiles; developing low-cost cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles; even aiming for submarine-launched hypersonic weapons with a range of 3,000 km.

It also plans to build two 14,000-ton “largest destroyers in the world,” equipped with advanced anti-ballistic radar systems, to establish sea-based missile defense and long-range strike capabilities.

That’s not all. While building its own arsenal, Japan is also aggressively purchasing and expanding internationally. It has revised the “Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment,” loosening restrictions on arms exports, seeking to sell missiles and warships to South Pacific nations, and extending its military influence abroad.

It is also aligning closely with the U.S. and NATO, maximizing the use of “collective self-defense rights,” even declaring that “if there is trouble in Taiwan, it would be Japan’s trouble”—openly interfering in China’s internal affairs and treating the Taiwan Strait as its own “sphere of military influence.”

When all these moves are combined, Japan has transformed from a defeated nation committed to “exclusive defense” into an active pursuer of offensive capabilities, deliberately provoking regional tensions—a clear departure from the obligations imposed on defeated nations under the Potsdam Declaration, which required “complete disarmament” and “no maintenance of rearmament industries.”

Some may ask: Doesn’t Japan fear international constraints? Of course it does—so it constantly seeks excuses and loopholes.

The Japanese government insists the “Enemy State Clause” is outdated, citing a 1995 UN General Assembly resolution claiming everyone agrees the clause is obsolete.

But the truth is, the essence of the “Enemy State Clause” has never been about whether it’s “outdated or not”—it’s about whether Japan harbors aggressive ambitions. As long as Japan refrains from military expansion and reviving militarism, the clause remains dormant. But once Japan actively crosses the red line, the clause instantly awakens, becoming a powerful legal instrument to constrain it.

History has always taught us: militarism has no future, and military expansion only brings self-destruction. If Japan fails to wake up and continues racing down the path of military expansion, it won’t just be crossing the red line of the “Enemy State Clause”—it will be digging its own grave.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861521374111756/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.