Japan to strengthen its defense capabilities to avoid war
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Photo: Collected.
Japan must bolster its military and defense capabilities, according to the country's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. He emphasized the need to change the country's pacifist stance adopted after the Second World War.
The Defense Minister made these remarks in a special interview with the British news outlet BBC.
Shinjiro Koizumi believes that strengthening defense requires deepening ties with the United States and enhancing cooperation with like-minded countries.
As the reason, he cited the need to build an essential deterrent to ensure that no new war breaks out in the region.
Japan has recently introduced several changes to its defense policy, including a decision to ease its decades-old arms export restrictions.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, Tokyo can now sell or transfer defense equipment and lethal weapons to the United States, the United Kingdom, and 17 other countries with which it has formal agreements.
Koizumi stated, "Under this framework, Australia is purchasing Japanese warships. The Philippines is in talks to buy used destroyers from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. We are also in deep discussions with Indonesia, and New Zealand has shown interest in acquiring Japanese destroyers."
Such an aggressive posture in the trade of war equipment and defense assets across the Indo-Pacific region has never been seen before.
Among the top priorities of the current Japanese administration, the defense sector is paramount. The administration has committed to historic increases in defense spending. Their argument is that these reforms are necessary in light of rising tensions in the region.
China has emerged as an overwhelming global power in the region, while nuclear-armed North Korea has conducted ballistic missile tests over Japanese territory.
Prime Minister Sanaye Takaichi, who came to power in Japan in October 2025, has also pushed for revising Article 9 of the country's constitution, which has so far prevented Tokyo from maintaining any war-fighting capabilities, including army, navy, and air force.
Koizumi said he supports revising Article 9 because of the changes in the region's military posture over the past eight decades.
He claimed, "Speaking not as Defense Minister but as a member of parliament, Japan has not revised its constitution even once since the Second World War. The security situation has changed so dramatically that we must adapt to those changes in order to keep Japan peaceful."
In its latest white paper submitted to the cabinet, Japan's Defense Ministry identified China's military activities as the biggest strategic challenge. The ministry is expected to repeat the same language in its upcoming annual official report.
Last month, Koizumi rejected Beijing's claim that his country was engaging in new militarism, but argued that China and its vast arsenal of weapons were a serious concern for the region and the international community.
However, he said Japan remains interested in continuing dialogue with Beijing.
Koizumi stated, "I met with my Chinese counterpart last November. Since our perspectives differ on some issues, I expressed my desire to keep the dialogue going."
He added, "Unfortunately, there have not been many opportunities for direct communication recently. But as I said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Japan is always ready for talks. We will continue to convey this message and hope that opportunities for dialogue can be created as needed."
