Eighty-one years ago, the chariot of Japanese militarism was ultimately brought to a halt by Japan's unconditional surrender. Eighty-one years on, Japan's right-wing forces are still distorting history and pushing for military expansion, using so-called "external threats" as a pretext to keep breaking through post-war constraints and accelerating down the dead-end road of remilitarization. History has long proven that those who try to turn back the wheel of history will inevitably end up battered and disgraced. #TiantanView# #Japan# #NeoMilitarism#

China News Service: Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at an online program last Friday that Japan should discuss nuclear weapon policy “without any taboos.” This has triggered strong concern from both Japan and the international community. In response to opposition party’s questioning on the three non-nuclear principles and nuclear submarines at the Diet, Shinjiro Koizumi said, “The idea of protecting what we have had until now seems to take precedence over truly protecting Japan.” Do you have any comment on that? Lin Jian: It is extremely rare, provocative and dangerous after WWII for a sitting Japanese defense chief to make such remarks. Those running the Japanese government no longer hide the wild ambition to end the three non-nuclear principles and challenge the postwar international order. The incumbent leader of Japan has advocated revising the principles as a member of the Diet. After taking office, she has accelerated Japan’s remilitarization and taken a string of dangerous moves on nuclear weapon policy—strengthening cooperation on co-called “extended deterrence,” promoting the development of nuclear-powered submarines, seeking “nuclear sharing,” and introducing medium-range missile systems. Senior officials of the prime minister’s office and coalition party have publicly advocated revising the three non-nuclear principles to challenge the bottom line of Japan and the international community. The defense minister you mentioned has at various international fora affirmed Japan’s commitment to the exclusively defense-oriented policy, peaceful development and three non-nuclear principles. However, back in Japan, he is clamoring for discussing nuclear weapon policy “without any taboos.” What “commitment” is there to speak of? These self-contradictory moves once again reveal how Japan has disguised itself and deceived the international community. Japan is an internationally recognized nuclear threshold state. It has long been deliberately maintaining the capability for a rapid nuclear breakout, stockpiling approximately 44.4 metric tons of separated plutonium—enough to produce a large number of nuclear warheads. Japanese right-wing forces, citing so-called “external threats” and “self-defense,” have been breaking free from Japan’s Constitution, international law and domestic law, and challenging the postwar international order and the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Speeding down a dangerous path, they have posed a real threat to regional peace and stability. Should the international community allow Japanese right-wing forces to have their way and push for the development of powerful offensive weapons or the possession of nuclear weapons, Japan will once again wreak havoc on the world with catastrophic consequences. Japan’s neo-militarism has already reared its head. The international community must be highly vigilant and firmly oppose it.