The draft of a new National Defense Program Outline that the government is expected to approve later this month has expressed grave concerns over China's rapid military buildup and enhanced maritime activities.
A summary of the draft obtained by the Mainichi Shimbun indicates that China has been increasing its defense spending in recent years and has been rapidly modernizing its nuclear missiles as well as its navy and air force weapons and other equipment.
The draft expresses grave concerns over China's increasing military and economic presence in the East China Sea, stating: "China is expanding its activity while strengthening its assertions regarding its sovereign rights over the sea around the nation."
The summary says that China's recent moves are a matter of concern for the East Asian region and the international community.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet is aiming to approve the draft sometime next week, moving a step closer to replacing the current National Defense Program Outline adopted six years ago.
The draft stops short of calling for a review of Japan's three principles relating to weapons exports, amid opposition from the Social Democratic Party, whom Prime Minister Naoto Kan has asked to form an alliance with the ruling coalition.
Still, it suggests that there's a need to consider the matter, saying, "The transfer overseas of equipment necessary for international joint development and production of weapons is common practice among advanced nations."
The draft underscores the need for dynamic defense capabilities to flexibly counter various threats in East Asia, noting that North Korea's nuclear weapons, missile programs and military provocation, among other factors, are destabilizing security in East Asia. It marks a departure from the principle of possessing minimal defense capabilities as a sovereign state with a possible invasion by the now-defunct Soviet Union in mind.
Specifically, the draft states that aerial and maritime defense capabilities, such as warning and surveillance activities, seaborne patrols and ballistic missile defense, should be upgraded to enhance the defense of southwestern Japan.
Describing island areas as a "void" in terms of Self-Defense Force presence, it urges the government to deploy minimal troops to such areas. It envisages the deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force personnel to Yonaguni and other islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
As part of efforts to decrease equipment produced with the Cold War in mind, it calls for a decrease in the number of tanks from the current 600 to less than 400, in line with the current defense program outline.
The draft of the new defense program outline also urges the government to consider relaxing its five principles on Japan's participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations. In addition, it proposes that an advisory panel to the prime minister on national security should be set up within the prime minister's office.
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