Why Japan Is Gearing Up for Possible War With China
The threat of Chinese aggression is producing a quiet revolution in Tokyo’s statecraft — and officials are pushing the nation to get ready for a fight.
(This is the second in a series of dispatches from partner nations the US will depend on in its rivalry, and potential war, with China. Read part one here; part three, on Australia, here; part four, on India, here; and part five, on Europe, here.)
If China were to attack Taiwan, it wouldn’t just have to face a hostile superpower. It would also likely have to confront its longstanding regional rival, Japan. For centuries, Japan and China have vied for hegemony in East Asia; at times, they have threatened each other’s survival. Today, as I found from three days of meetings with Japanese officials and analysts in Tokyo, the threat of Chinese aggression is producing a quiet revolution in Japanese statecraft — and pushing the nation to get ready for a fight.