Japan’s welcome acknowledgment of the China threat

Published July 20, 2025 12:01am ET



Just days after Chinese fighter jets caused near-collisions with Japanese intelligence aircraft over the Pacific, Japan’s defense ministry released a report identifying rising Chinese aggression as “the most severe and complex security” threat Japan has faced since 1945.

“China’s external posture, military activities, and other activities are a matter of serious concern for Japan and the international community and present an unprecedented strategic challenge,” the report reads, adding that “Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its ally, like-minded countries, and others.”

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