Unrelinquished militarism: Japan's rearmament raises regional security concerns

On May 3, 1946 – 80 years ago today – the Tokyo Trials brought 25 high-ranking Japanese officials to justice, establishing a verdict that defined and condemned their war crimes. Eighty years later, that legacy appears to be losing its grip, as Japan is drifting toward a path reminiscent of its past militarism, raising alarms over regional stability.

What happens when the nation that once launched invasions across China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region begins to relax the legal shackles on rearmament? What happens when the militarism that fueled its past expansion resurfaces?

Read more: Tokyo Trials 80 years on: A time to cherish peace, justice and humanity

Deployment of long-range missiles

In recent years, Japan has taken incremental steps to rebuild its military power, advancing its broader shift toward remilitarization.

Most recently, a series of measures to strengthen its military power has raised concerns over its potential implications for regional security.

In late March, Japan deployed its first domestically developed long-range missiles, Type 25 land-based anti-ship missile and Type 25 high-speed glide missile at the Kengun Garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Fuji Garrison in Shizuoka Prefecture, respectively.

With an extended operational range to around 1,000 kilometers, the Type 25 land-based anti-ship missile covers territory far beyond Japan's coastline, allowing it to engage naval and land-based assets across East Asia.

Kumamoto Prefecture, located in central Kyushu, faces the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula. Stationing missiles there would enable coverage of these regions as well as parts of China's coastal areas, Meng Mingming, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told CMG.

"The deployment of missiles by Japan's Self-Defense Forces marks a substantive shift in the country's defense policy and carries clear strategic intent," Meng pointed out. "The deployment of missiles marks its shift from a defensive force to an offensive military with long-range strike capabilities." 

Lifting the lethal weapon export ban

On April 21, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet officially abolished Japan's longstanding ban on exporting lethal weapons, which limited defense exports to equipment for rescue, transport, warning, surveillance, and minesweeping, paving the way to the sale of fighter jets, missiles, and domestically designed warships.

Xiang Haoyu, a specially appointed research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, China Institute of International Studies, told CMG that lifting this ban will likely spur the expansion of Japan's defense industry. 

According to Xiang, this move "breaks through Japan's exclusively defense-oriented policy, intends to boost the domestic economy, expand the defense industry, and project geopolitical influence." 

Masataka Mori, a former professor of peace studies, thinks loosening controls on exporting deadly weapons could potentially constitute a "de facto constitutional revision."

"Japan's post-war pacifist stance is now potentially being overturned at the state level – or may already have been overturned," Mori said, voicing concern for the government's apparent deviation from the Constitution. 

Full participation in military exercises

In April, Japan deployed an unprecedented 1,400 personnel – its largest-ever contingent – to the annual "Balikatan" exercise, marking its first full participation in the joint military drills led by the Philippines and the United States, which is also joined by forces from Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand.

Lyu Yaodong, a professor at the School of Global and Regional Studies under the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told CMG that Japan's formal participation in this military exercise, against the backdrop of its continued deviation from the pacifist constraints of its Constitution, suggests that it is unwilling to continue merely as a "junior partner" under US protection.

Instead, Japan is seeking a more proactive role, particularly within the recurring "Balikatan" military exercises. This reflects a broader shift in Japan's security posture – from its previous cautious stance to a more active and assertive approach, Lyu said. 

Japan's evolving stance on military engagement once again raises questions about how it aligns with its postwar legal commitments, most notably Article 9 of its Constitution, which renounces the country's right to wage war.

This pacifist commitment, built into Japan's legal scaffolding, represented a legacy of history, a promise to atone for past war crimes and a pledge to uphold peace in the future. On the anniversary of a historic moment that delivered justice to the victims, that legacy should be remembered and upheld for continued efforts to safeguard regional and global peace.