Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

The events that have unfolded in the Middle East over the past two years, especially in recent days, are truly abhorrent. They serve as a stark reminder of a simple truth: When countries are allowed to flagrantly trample on the basic norms that underpin the international order, peace and tranquility will remain elusive.

As a Chinese saying goes, "Foresight now prevents distress later." While we are still blessed by peace in our part of the world, we must not forget a latent but real threat to regional stability: the resurgence of militarism in Japan.

In the post-WWII world, Asia has emerged as a global hub of development and stability. The prosperity and tranquility it has enjoyed are the result of decades of collective efforts by Asian nations - achievements that are both hard-won and deserve to be jointly cherished and safeguarded.

Asia's development has depended, first and foremost, on a peaceful and stable environment, with the post-WWII international order serving as its cornerstone. This postwar order is built on essential institutional frameworks. Core principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes, have provided a legal foundation for safeguarding the sovereignty and security of Asian countries. These principles remain an important bulwark for developing countries in defending their legitimate rights and interests. Meanwhile, trade liberalization has facilitated cross-border flows of capital, technology and labor, creating favorable conditions for Asia's export-oriented economies. Although local conflicts have never entirely ceased, the postwar era has witnessed the longest period of relative peace in modern history, offering developing countries a rare opportunity to rise.

Since the end of WWII, Asia has risen from the ashes of war and, on the whole, maintained a positive momentum toward peace and development. A number of Asian economies, including the Republic of Korea and Singapore, have advanced into the ranks of middle-income or even developed countries. Since the turn of this century, Asia has increasingly become the key engine for the world economy, with its increasing share of global GDP (measured by purchasing power parity).

In 1947, Japan issued its Peace Constitution, Article 9 of which explicitly stipulates that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes, laying the foundation for its return to the international community. In the postwar period, Japan signed war reparation agreements with several Southeast Asian countries. Starting in the 1970s, Japan became a major provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA). 

According to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the 1970s to the 2000s, Japan constantly ranked among the world's leading ODA donors. On August 15, 1995, the 50th anniversary of Japan's surrender, then prime minister Tomiichi Murayama made the well-known Murayama Statement, which clearly expressed remorse and apology for Japan's colonial rule and acts of aggression, and pledged adherence to a path of peaceful development and a commitment never to wage war again. For a time, this statement was a critical prerequisite for regional countries to rebuild trust in Japan and welcome the country back.

However, Japan's militarist forces have never been thoroughly reckoned with, and there has yet to be a deep and sincere reflection on historical crimes within the country. Even the Murayama Statement has been questioned and undermined. In recent years, Japan has continuously weakened the constraints of its Peace Constitution, incrementally breaking through the limits of the postwar system and advancing military expansion. Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi deliberately hyped "Taiwan contingency" hypothetical scenarios. Such rhetoric exposes Japan's ambition to beef up its military and challenge the postwar international order, and display a clear, dangerous rise of neo-militarism. If tolerated, this could become a source of regional turmoil, eroding the very foundations of Asia's peace and development.

Japan's neo-militarism poses a direct threat to the postwar international order. In 2014, Japan lifted restrictions on the exercise of collective self-defense right, drastically expanding the scope of overseas operations by its Self-Defense Forces. This marked a fundamental shift in Japan's security policy, undermining the legal underpinnings of the postwar order in East Asia and damaging the political trust Japan had built with other Asian countries on the premise of its war crime reflection. Its excessive strengthening of military alliances and military capabilities has also severely weakened the multilateral security mechanisms centered on the UN.

Even more concerning is the risk that Japan's neo-militarism could trigger an arms race in the region. Japan has already deployed F-35B fighter jets capable of carrying offensive weapons and operating from the Izumo-class destroyer, effectively enhancing the Self-Defense Forces' deep-sea offence capabilities. In 2024, Japan signed an agreement with the US to procure about 400 Tomahawk missiles, acquiring long-range ground strike capabilities. These developments signal a shift in Japan's defense strategy from an exclusively defense-oriented posture to one that combines offense and defense, including proactive strike capabilities. Such moves will inevitably be perceived by neighboring countries as major security threats, prompting reactive military buildups and ultimately damaging peace and stability in Asia.

The rise of Japan's neo-militarism is by no means a mere domestic policy shift - it poses a systemic threat to regional peace and stability. As a member of the Asian family, Japan should honor its commitments and take concrete actions to address the trust deficit it has created. Should it persist in pursuing the dangerous path of neo-militarism, Japan will not only tarnish its image as a peaceful nation but also become a source of regional instability, dragging itself and other Asian countries into an abyss of calamity.

Keeping a close watch on and proactively forestalling the resurgence of Japan's neo-militarism is a shared responsibility that all nations in the region must undertake before it is too late. Anything short of that will put Asia's peace and stability in peril.

The author is a commentator on international affairs. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn