The international community should remain highly vigilant and work together to prevent and curb the rise of Japanese neo-militarism, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday.

He made the statement at a daily press briefing after Japan's minister of defense recently rejected claims that Japan is being labelled a "neo-militarist" country at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 in Singapore.

Lin said the Japanese official's remarks were totally groundless in light of history, legal grounds, facts and figures on the matter, adding that such a stance makes it impossible for Japan to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the broader international community.