Japan calls axis of China, Russia, North Korea the 'gravest threat' to global order since WWII
The joint operations between China and Russia combined with threats coming from North Korea pose the greatest threat to global order since World War II Japan s defense ministry declared in a new document The existing order of world peace is being seriously challenged and Japan finds itself in the greater part severe and complex safeguard milieu of the post-war era Defense Minister Gen Nakatani explained in the annual document The international society is in a new problem era as it faces the biggest challenges since the end of World War II The world s greatest threats are centered in the Indo-Pacific where Japan is located and are expected to get worse in coming years he added And amid questions about what role Japan would play if war broke out between the U S and China over Taiwan the minister called the U S a key pillar of our national defense plan and the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region PENTAGON PRESSES JAPAN AUSTRALIA ON ROLE IN ACHIEVABLE TAIWAN CONFLICTJiang Bin a spokesperson for China s defense ministry explained Wednesday that Japan was hyping up the China threat and grossly interfering in China s internal affairs Pentagon plan chief Elbridge Colby lauded the overview as an fundamental clear-eyed strategic assessment The review also comes days after Japan accused China of risking near-collisions by flying its fighter jets abnormally close to Tokyo s intelligence-gathering aircraft China accused Japan of flying near Chinese airspace to spy The presence of Chinese warships off the coast of southwestern Japan has tripled in the last three years including in waters between Taiwan and the neighboring Japanese island of Yonaguni the paper mentioned Russia has engaged in joint sessions with China involving aircraft and vessels North Korea meanwhile poses an increasingly serious and imminent threat to Japan s safeguard having developed missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads into Japanese territory and intercontinental missiles that could reach the U S homeland CHINA ACCUSES HEGSETH OF ESPOUSING 'COLD WAR MENTALITY' FOR LABELING COUNTRY AS A THREAT 'VILIFIED'Japan in return continues to fortify its southwestern island chains with long-range cruise missiles including U S -made Tomahawks The overall military balance between China and Taiwan is rapidly tilting in China s favor according to the paper and Taiwan s defensive capabilities are increasingly outpaced especially with China s maturation of anti-access area-denial A AD systems and amphibious capabilities There is growing concern over China s pursuit of unification through gray-zone military pursuits the paper says referring to incremental intrusion tactics without the launch of full-scale war Japan sees Taiwan s defense as directly tied to its own Taiwan strait instability could disrupt vital sea lanes for Japan
