OPINION | Japan must avoid the mistakes of WWII

May 1, 2025 , 01:50 PM

By Manny Mogato

(May 1, 2025) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba traveled to two Southeast Asian countries—the Philippines and Vietnam—this week to deepen and strengthen bilateral security and economic relations with states that were seen as China’s most vocal critics.

Ishiba’s visit shortly followed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tour of Cambodia and Malaysia, two Southeast Asian states known to be very friendly with Beijing.

It seemed Japan and China were engaged in a strategic tug-of-war to gain support from countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Both were economic powerhouses. China has offered ASEAN states a seat in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), providing big infrastructure projects, like airports, seaports, rails, and highways.

On the other hand, Japan has funded most infrastructure projects under its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to build roads, bridges, railways, and other similar projects.

Beijing has an advantage. It has the most powerful military in the region. Oftentimes, China has been harassing Southeast Asian states, like Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, in the disputed South China Sea.

Japan still relies on the United States for its security umbrella. It was prevented from developing an offensive military capability under its post-war peace constitution.

Thus, it has no carrier, nuclear-powered submarines, and strategic missile systems to match Beijing.

The continued rise of China and the decline of US military power have forced Japan to rethink its security strategy.

Advanced technology and resources have helped Tokyo play catch-up with Beijing’s military capabilities.

For instance, its helicopter carriers could be transformed into aircraft carriers with several F-35 aircraft.

It has long-range missile systems that can target deep into mainland China and easily convert conventional diesel-electric submarines into nuclear-powered subsurface combatant vessels.

Japan is getting paranoid by increasing security threats from its northern and western neighbors – China, North Korea, and Russia.

It doubted Washington’s security assurance and has started rearming to guarantee its protection.

Thus, many experts see a rapid militarization of Japan, filling the shoes of the rapidly declining US security role in the region.

Japan’s militarization started during Shinzo Abe’s leadership in the 2010s, forging closer and strategic relations with like-minded states, like the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Japan does not aim to overtake China as the most powerful military in the Asia-Pacific region. It only seeks to create a more lethal armed force that China would think twice before launching an attack.

Tokyo went outside the region to seek alliances and set its eyes on Europe – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

It’s a symbiotic relationship as NATO looks into the Indo-Pacific region to expand its influence and find allies to counter China’s rapid rise.

Of course, the United States readily embraces the growing alliance between NATO and its Indo-Pacific states, like Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

It could expand to other ASEAN states, like Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

NATO has begun deploying warships to maintain an “open and free” Indo-Pacific region. It also wanted to preserve the status quo in the East and South China Sea and the Sea of Japan.

In a few weeks, the United Kingdom’s carrier strike force would sail in the region’s contested seas and make port calls.

Last month, Ishiba met with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Tokyo and declared: “A stronger NATO will benefit Japan greatly.”

In February, Ishiba stated that Tokyo intends to play a role in deepening its relations with allies and like-minded states in the Indo-Pacific region.

Several mechanisms are at play in the Indo-Pacific region – the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among Australia, Japan, India, and the United States; the Japan, the Philippines, and the United States (JAPUS) trilateral arrangement; and the Japan, South Korea, and the United States cooperation.

Japan’s militarization could trigger some concerns in the region, which had not forgotten the horrors of World War II.

Its militarization has always been accompanied by aggression of weaker states, exploitation of natural resources, extermination of the local population, and colonization.

As an ally of Nazi Germany, it committed war crimes. The Japanese people suffered too after the US dropped two nuclear bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, ending the Pacific War in 1945.

Ishiba’s government must be reminded of the consequences of rearming Japan and dreaming of possessing nuclear warheads to match China’s military might.

It would be a bigger threat to the region, fueling a dangerous nuclear arms race.

It would be a disaster if a conflict in the region erupts with nuclear weapons involved, because it is the people who suffer.

Japan should not make its people relive the horrors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in its desire to catch up and match China’s military.

Japan must adhere to its constitution and keep its military as a self-defense force. Transforming it into an offensive force would invite trouble in the region.

Ishiba can use his visit to Southeast Asia to reinforce Southeast Asia’s deterrence capability, but not aim to fill the US’s big shoes.

The views expressed by the columnist do not necessarily reflect that of the media organization.

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