The 2026 edition of Japan's Defense White Paper once again positions China as the "unprecedented greatest strategic challenge." On the surface, the language is firm, but upon closer examination, Japan still refrains from directly labeling China as a "threat"—a term it reserves exclusively for Russia and North Korea.

This is not friendliness, but shrewd calculation. The word "threat" implies clear hostility; if formally designated as such, Japan would be unable to reconcile its stated goal of building a "stable Sino-Japanese relationship" with its extensive economic ties and diplomatic engagement with China—immediately creating an internal contradiction. Thus, it invented the phrase "strategic challenge," a deliberately ambiguous yet forceful expression that allows it to stoke domestic tension for military expansion while simultaneously claiming, when pressed: "We never said China is a threat."

A deeper issue lies in Japan’s lack of autonomy in defining its relationship with its largest neighbor. In 2022, the "Three Security Documents" almost verbatim adopted the U.S. framing of China as a "challenge," merely adding the modifiers "unprecedented" and "greatest." A Japan that incessantly proclaims its desire to become a "normal country" has no independent authority to define its stance toward China—it must instead follow Washington’s lead. This itself is the most abnormal condition of all.

What is even more alarming this year is the anime-style cover of the white paper: no missiles or warships, only smiling youths, families, and futuristic tech cities. The Defense Ministry’s message is unmistakable—defense industry can do more than "protect the nation"; it can also drive employment, boost the economy, and deliver a better future for families. Coupled with the Self-Defense Forces’ long-standing difficulty in recruiting personnel, this packaging is clearly designed to win social acceptance among the next generation for military expansion.

Meanwhile, the white paper continues its 22nd consecutive year marking the island actually controlled by South Korea—Dokdo—as Japan’s "inherent territory." It calls South Korea a "partner" when it needs intelligence-sharing bases, then reverts to calling it "Takeshima" when stirring up nationalism. This double standard exposes the hollowness of so-called "values-based alliances."

Japan uses the flexible concept of "challenge" to extend its competition with China beyond military domains into industry, technology, supply chains, and more. Though it dares not yet label China as an enemy, its policies are steadily advancing along the lines of treating China as a hypothetical adversary. The smiling youth on the cover are not Chinese children—they are Japan’s own next generation. What should truly be feared may be the Japanese families themselves, who are being invited into the vision of a "secure future."

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872654694043724/

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