By Xu Yongzhi
徐永智
Japan officially released the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper on July 15, highlighting dangerous trends. It not only elaborates on measures to build a more combat-ready military and emphasizes joint exercises with foreign armed forces, but also hypes up the so-called "China threat" to justify loosening military restrictions, raising high vigilance and deep concern among Japan's Asian neighbors and the international community.
7月15日，日本正式发布2025年版《防卫白皮书》，凸显其危险动向。新版《防卫白皮书》不仅详细阐述构建“能战机制”相关举措、着重展示与外军进行联合演训情况，还大肆渲染“中国威胁”，为其军事松绑寻找借口，引发亚洲邻国和国际社会的高度警惕和深切担忧。
Building a combat-ready mechanism. The opening section of the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper introduces Japan's newly established Joint Operations Command, which was set up this March. Previously, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) could only form smaller-scale multi-service joint units on a temporary basis according to mission needs. With the new command in place, Japan will now have a centralized authority to direct its ground, maritime, and air Self-Defense Forces, as well as its space and cyber capabilities during peacetime, and to rapidly adjust force posture and deploy troops flexibly in wartime according to the evolving situation to effectively conduct large-scale, multi-domain operations. It is worth noting that the US Forces Japan (USFJ), whose powers have expanded significantly since last year, will also set up a dedicated unit to work with this new Joint Operations Command, aiming to enhance the efficiency of US-Japan wartime decision-making and response capabilities.
构建“能战机制”。新版《防卫白皮书》开篇就介绍了日本今年3月新组建的统合作战司令部。此前，日本自卫队仅能临时根据任务需求成立较小规模的多兵种联合部队。该司令部成立后，不仅将在平时一元化指挥陆、海、空自卫队以及外空、网络战力，还能在战时根据情势变化迅速构建灵活的军事态势、根据作战全局安排兵力，以有效地开展大规模跨域作战。值得关注的是，去年以来大幅扩权的驻日美军司令部，也将成立专司与统合作战司令部合作的部门，以提高美日两军战时高效决策和应对能力。
In addition, the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper devotes substantial space to Japan's plans to accelerate the development of offensive weapons. In fiscal year 2025, Japan plans to deploy an upgraded land-based version of the Type 12 anti-ship missile with a range of about 1,000 kilometers, and will begin mass production of its ship-launched variant and a new submarine-launched missile. Production of hypersonic glide vehicles will continue, alongside imports of Tomahawk cruise missiles, JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles, and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM). Planning to equip so many types of weapons within such a short timeframe reveals Japan's ambition to develop long-range strike capabilities.
此外，新版《防卫白皮书》还以相当篇幅介绍了日本加快发展进攻性武器的计划。2025财年，日本将部署射程约1000公里的改进型12式反舰导弹（陆基型），并开始量产该导弹的海基型和新型潜射导弹，继续生产超高速滑翔弹，进口“战斧”巡航导弹、JASSM-ER空射巡航导弹和JSM联合打击导弹等。在短期内计划装备如此多种武器，不难看出日本发展远程攻击作战能力的野心。
Pursuing flexible deterrence. Unlike previous editions, the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper devotes significantly more space to detailing the JSDF's joint exercises with foreign militaries during fiscal year 2024. For example, in June and November 2024, Japan, the US and the ROK held trilateral multi-domain military exercises codenamed Freedom Edge twice, covering maritime missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, air defense operations, maritime interception, and cyber defense. In December of the same year, Japan, the US and Australia conducted the large-scale Yama Sakura 87 command post exercise, which focused on island defense operations... By highlighting these joint exercises, Japan aims to signal that the "Japan-US+X" multilateral security cooperation framework remains fully operational and that Tokyo will continue strengthening military ties with like-minded countries to pursue what it calls flexible deterrence against perceived strategic rivals.
谋求“灵活威慑”。与以往不同的是，新版《防卫白皮书》用更多篇幅介绍了2024财年日本自卫队与外军的联合演训情况。比如，2024年6月和11月，日美韩两次举行“自由之刃”联合多域演习，演练内容涵盖海上反导、反潜作战、防空作战、海上拦截、网络防御等；同年12月，日美澳开展“山樱87”大规模指挥所演习，演习内容为“岛屿防卫作战”……日本突出展示这些联合军演，意在对外展示“日美+X”多边军事合作机制仍在正常运转，而且未来将继续强化与“志同道合国”的军事合作，以谋求对所谓战略对手进行“灵活威慑”。
Fanning up the so-called "China threat." In addition to repeating its old rhetoric that Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment since WWII and labelling China as "an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge," the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper falsely accuses China of intensifying unilateral changes to the status quo by force and fabricates claims about China's military posing a threat to Japan. What is even more alarming is that Japan, in total disregard of the fact that Taiwan is part of China, seeks to interfere in the Taiwan question by absurdly claiming that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are vital to Japan's security and the stability of the international community. Japan's fabrication of such false narratives is nothing but an attempt to justify its actions to use Taiwan to contain China and to incite relevant countries to confront China, further exposing its sinister intention to meddle in regional affairs.
渲染“中国威胁”。除老调重弹称日本面临“二战后最为严峻、复杂的安全环境”、称中国为“前所未有的最大战略挑战”外，新版《防卫白皮书》还诬称中国“以实力单方面改变现状”，编造中国军力对日本的“危害”。更值得警惕的是，日本罔顾台湾是中国一部分的事实，企图在台湾问题上指手画脚，妄称“台海局势稳定事关我国安全和国际社会稳定”。日本大肆炮制虚假叙事，不过是为其搞“以台制华”、鼓动相关国家与中国对抗的行径进行辩护，进一步凸显了日本干预地区事务的险恶用心。
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's recovery from Japanese occupation. Japanese militarism once inflicted profound suffering on China and other Asian neighbors. Instead of seriously reflecting on its past, Japan is once again showing dangerous tendencies toward military expansion. These actions gravely violate Japan's pacifist Constitution and its exclusively defense-oriented policy, severely undermine the post-war international order, and pose a serious challenge to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Japan should profoundly learn from historical lessons, act prudently in military security fields, stop smearing and accusing China, earnestly abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and its commitments on the Taiwan question, and take concrete actions to promote the sound and stable development of China-Japan relations.
今年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年，也是台湾光复80周年。日本军国主义曾给中国和亚洲邻国带来深重灾难，如今其非但不认真反省，反而再次表现出扩张军备的危险态势，严重违背日本“和平宪法”和“专守防卫”原则，严重破坏战后国际秩序，给亚太地区和平安宁带来重大挑战。日本应深刻汲取历史教训，在军事安全领域谨言慎行，并停止对华抹黑指责，切实恪守中日四个政治文件精神和在台湾问题上所作承诺，以实际行动推动中日关系健康稳定发展。
(The author is from the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)
（作者单位：中国现代国际关系研究院）
