Editor's note: Xiang Haoyu is a specially appointed research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

September 18 marks the 95th anniversary of the outbreak of the September 18 Incident. The incident not only served as a prelude to Japanese militarism’s brutal invasion of China and other Asian nations, but also destroyed the international system of the time, plunging the entire Asia-Pacific region into the bottomless abyss of war.

At this solemn juncture, a time for deep reflection on wartime tragedies and renewed pledges for peace, a close look at the current situation in East Asia inevitably evokes deep concern.

Recently, a string of unusually dangerous developments have emerged in quick succession within Japan's political and defense circles, such as right-wing conservatives gaining power in local elections, top defense officials openly coveting nuclear armaments and frequent joint regional military drills. and words and deeds that challenge the post-war international order. 

All those suggest that Japan's ruling authorities and right-wing factions are accelerating their break from the post-war system and deviating further from the path of peaceful development.

Challenging the postwar international order

The post-war international order, with the United Nations at its core, was built precisely upon the defeat of Japanese militarism by the world anti-fascist alliance and hard-won lessons drawn from the war. Nevertheless, Japan's recent diplomatic rhetoric and actions clearly expose a dangerous attempt to challenge the fundamental bottom line of this very order.

Recently, the Japanese government brazenly demanded that Russia dismantle a monument dedicated to the victory over Japanese militarism, citing the absurd justification that the monument's design "hurt the feelings of the Japanese people." Concurrently, Japanese officials have claimed that the "Enemy State Clauses" in the UN Charter are outdated and hollow in practice.

These are by no means isolated diplomatic disputes; rather, they are a concentrated manifestation of the long-standing attempts by Japan's right-wing forces to whitewash its history of aggression and reverse historical verdicts.

As a special institutional arrangement for defeated World War II nations, the core legal logic behind the "Enemy State Clauses" is to prevent the resurgence of fascism and militarism. They constitute political and legal guardrails put in place by the international community to sustain enduring peace.

From the perspective of victimized Asian nations, Japan's demand to remove anti-fascist monuments and its attempt to erase its legal status as a defeated nation amount to an overt provocation against historical justice.

The international community must remain clear-eyed: Japan's regression in historical awareness is not merely a question of passing moral judgment on its past; it is directly tied to the trajectory of its future development. To tolerate historical revisionism from Japan is in essence to shake the foundations of the post-war peace order, which will ultimately harm global peace and stability.

The 'broken-window effect' in defense policy

If distortions of history serve as an ideological warning sign, Japan's recent radical leaps in defense policy are manifesting themselves as an increasingly tangible threat.

In the Okinawa gubernatorial election held on September 13, Genta Koja, who received strong backing from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, won the election. Koja's victory not only signals the forceful push-through of the controversial relocation of the US military base to Henoko; more importantly, it means Tokyo will accelerate the militarization of the Ryukyu Islands, turning them into a bridgehead for intervening in geopolitical conflicts.

An immediate danger posed by this election result is that, in pursuit of military expansion goals, Japan's ruling coalition will press ahead with arming Okinawa, at the risk of dragging the Okinawan people onto the chariot of East-Asian geopolitical conflicts.

Equally alarming is how top defense officials are trampling on peace-oriented bottom lines. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi recently stated openly that in discussions on revising the three key security documents, no options would be ruled out when considering next-generation submarines, including nuclear-powered ones.

Such remarks represent a blatant betrayal of Japan's long-vaunted Three Non-Nuclear Principles and strip away the government's facade of pursuing an exclusively defense-oriented posture.

Besides, Japan's frequent participation in large-scale joint military exercises in September, such as Freedom Edge 2026 and Orient Shield 2026, shows that the Self-Defense Forces are rapidly transforming from a defensive force into an offensive one equipped with long-range power projection and pre-emptive strike capabilities.

Japan's post-war "exclusively defense-oriented" policy now exists in name only, laying bare a "broken-window effect" that keeps shattering the post-war pacifist system.

Where is Japan headed?

The rightward tilt in Japan's political ecology and its drive to become a major military power are inevitably exerting profound impacts on East Asia's security architecture, bringing far-reaching negative consequences to regional peace and stability.

Japan's radical arms build-up, paired with policies that point to intervention in geopolitical disputes, has stirred deep concern and military vigilance among its Asian neighbors, pushing the region into a vicious cycle of eroding mutual trust and arms races.

For the international community, allowing Japan to cast off its post-war military constraints to sow division and confrontation will only undermine the prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific, which in turn will seriously jeopardize long-term global security.

At this historical milestone marking the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, the alarm over the possible resurgence of Japanese militarism has rung once again. Japan can never earn the understanding of its Asian neighbors or the respect of the international community through militarism and warmongering.

To avoid repeating the catastrophic mistakes of history, Japan's only viable path forward is to pull back from the brink, squarely face its past, and engage in profound reflection on its history of aggression. Japan must completely cut ties with lingering militarist ideologies, return to the framework of its Pacifist Constitution, and firmly follow the path of peaceful development.

Only by taking concrete actions to honor its commitments to the post-war international order and ceasing to act as a troublemaker in regional affairs can Japan start rebuilding trust with its Asian neighbors and the wider international community.