Japan's Defense Escalation: A Regional Powder Keg The latest defense gathering at Beijing's Xiangshan conference has put a spotlight on Japan's increasingly aggressive military posture and its implications for regional stability.
Chinese scholars, such as Zhou Rong of Renmin University's Chongyang Institute, are warning that Tokyo's security expansion, driven in part by domestic conservative forces, could be setting off a chain reaction of instability in East Asia.
The news that Japan may raise its midterm budget to 3 3. 5% of GDP, aligning with NATO and other US allies, is just one indicator of this trend.