The Japanese government has been paying close attention to how China will deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If China and Russia become closer and strengthen their solidarity, Japan thinks the situation could destabilize the security environment of East Asia.
At a press conference on Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said: "China's military moves are strong security concerns for the international community. I hope China will further enhance transparency regarding its defense policies, including its defense budget, and its military capabilities."
Based on that, Matsuno added, "Unilateral change of the status quo by force, such as seen in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, cannot be tolerated in East Asia." The remark was aimed to counter China, which has been strengthening its force-backed maritime advancement.
At the National People's Congress, China announced a 7.1% increase in defense spending plan in 2022 from a year earlier to 1.4505 trillion yuan (about 26.35 trillion yen), about 4.9 times larger than the defense budget plan of Japan.
A person related to the Japanese government said that the increase in defense spending plan for 2022 "may be a sign of China's military buildup toward the 'unification' with Taiwan that China sees as one of its core interests."
It seems that China and Russia are strengthening their solidarity in 2022, such as by activating their military exercises in the airspace and waters around Japan. Amid mounting sanctions imposed on Russia by many countries, China has opposed the sanctions and shown consideration for Russia, such as by abstaining from voting for a draft resolution to condemn Russia at an emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly.
At a House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, expressing his strong sense of caution against China, said: "China and Russia in recent years have maintained their close relations and promoted their military cooperation around Japan. [Japan] will continue to keep a close eye on the moves of the two nations with strong interest."
On the other hand, there also have been moves within the Japanese government to pursue dialogue with China. For example, with September this year marking the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations, Kishida said in a question-and-answer session with party representatives in the upper house in January, "[Japan] will aim to establish constructive and stable relations [with China]."
However, a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said, "It has become more uncertain whether Japan and China will be able to create an opportunity for dialogue considering Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
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