Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) Photo: Courtesy of MND

China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Friday warned of the dangers posed by Japan's neo-militarism, as Tokyo continues to expand its defense budget, develop offensive capabilities and aggressively expanded its military industry under the pretext of addressing so-called external threats. 

The warning came as Japan is set to seek a record-high defense budget of around 8.9 trillion yen ($55.88 billion) for fiscal year 2027, while right-wing forces in the country continue to distort history, decades after Japan announced its unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945.

Eighty-one years ago, struck hard by China and global anti-fascist forces, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. Before that, Japanese militarists had plunged the whole Asia into an abyss of bloodshed and disaster. Their atrocities, such as the Nanjing Massacre, the Bataan Death March, and the Death Railway between Thailand and Myanmar, inflicted untold sufferings on the peoples of other Asian countries and beyond, and even on the Japanese people themselves, Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's MND, said. 

However, after its defeat, Japan failed to truly draw lessons from history. It has long condoned its right-wing forces whitewashing and denying crimes of aggression, sought every possible means to break free from the pacifist Constitution and exclusively defense-oriented principle, and attempted to challenge the post-war international order, the spokesperson noted.

As a result, Japan has become detrimental to regional peace and stability. Recently, under the pretext of addressing so-called external threats, the Japanese side has substantially increased its defense budget, rigorously developed offensive capabilities, and aggressively expanded its military industry. Japan's neo-militarism has laid bare its true ambition, and we must stay vigilant against the dangers posed by it, Chen said. 

"Historical facts must not be forgotten, and justice and peace must not be compromised. We urge the Japanese side to earnestly reflect on itself, recognize and atone for its crimes, adhere to the post-war international order, and stop its dangerous acts of remilitarization. Any return to the wrong path will bring a more crushing defeat and a more complete reckoning," Chen said.