Eighty years after Japan's unconditional surrender and the adoption of its postwar Peace Constitution under Allied supervision, the country now stands at a pivotal crossroads. In recent years, the Japanese government has increasingly justified military expansion by invoking fabricated or exaggerated security crises. It's a clear departure from its constitutional pacifist principles that has stirred growing regional concern. Most recently, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a "Taiwan contingency" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan during a parliamentary debate, implying possible military intervention under the banner of "collective self-defense." Such rhetoric not only contradicts Japan's own constitution but also poses a serious challenge to the postwar international order.

At this critical moment, Victor Gao, chair professor at Soochow University and vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, raises a pressing question: How can the international community restrain Japan's right-wing forces and prevent history from repeating itself? If Japan continues to abandon its long-standing pacifist path, where will it lead East Asia, and at what cost?