Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Li Jian expressed serious concern to Japan's moves to advance cooperation with NATO at a regular press briefing on Monday, when asked to comment on reports that Tokyo announced it would dispatch four Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel to NATO's Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) headquarters and Tokyo also indicated plans to further expand defense cooperation with NATO.

Lin said that Japan is vigorously pushing forward with "remilitarization," frequently interacting with military organizations outside the region, expanding the operational scope of its SDF, and building a combat-ready military system. This constitutes a breach of the Japanese Constitution, international law, domestic legal constraints, and the principle of exclusive self-defense. It challenges the post-war international order and runs completely counter to the image of a "peaceful country" that Japan claims for itself.

Lin warned that Japan's "neo-militarism" is gaining momentum and becoming a threat, endangering regional peace and stability. The international community must remain highly vigilant and resolutely curb this trend.

Global Times