BBC Chinese Website wrote today (May 31): "Shangri-La Dialogue: Japan's Defense Minister Denies New Militarism and Criticizes China's 'Vast Weapons Arsenal.'"
[Clever] Commenting briefly: Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba's argument is nothing but a sleight of hand. Whether or not one possesses nuclear weapons does not determine whether militarism lingers in spirit. Military spending surpassing 2% of GDP, lifting the ban on collective self-defense, politicians repeatedly visiting the Yasukuni Shrine year after year, and textbook revisions erasing the word "aggression" entirely—can you honestly stand by these concrete facts? When confronted by a Chinese representative about when Japan would apologize to Asian victims, he immediately evaded the question. China’s military might may be large, but it has never crossed borders to burn, kill, or plunder. Japan, however, once truly marched across East Asia. Using "no nuclear weapons" as a mask is merely leveraging the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy to revive military expansion. The historical accounts remain unsettled, yet expansion continues unabated—this posture is far more dangerous than any so-called "weapons arsenal."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866699556505924/
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