TOKYO, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Japan's defense ministry on Tuesday released its 2026 defense white paper, a report that places greater emphasis on "new ways of warfare" and "defense production and technology bases," while continuing to portray the regional security environment as "increasingly severe."
Analysts believe the new white paper reflects the strategic priorities of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration, laying out a roadmap for sustained military expansion through measures such as transforming its operational systems and expanding its defense industry, thereby signaling a dangerous move to further break free from the post-war order and accelerate the country's shift toward becoming a "military state."
A DEFENSE REPORT BEARING TAKAICHI'S STAMP
The roughly 600-page report introduces several notable structural changes. For the first time, it includes a dedicated chapter on "trends in new ways of warfare," drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict while advocating expanded use of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, stronger capabilities for sufficient sustained military operations, and the extension of defense planning into new domains including space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
The paper also significantly expands discussion of strengthening Japan's defense production and technological bases, elevating the topic to an independent section. It argues the development of the defense industry as a means to "drive economic growth" and "foster technological innovation that benefits the civilian sector."
Critics, however, contend that such arguments are intended to legitimize dangerous trends such as expanded joint weapons development with foreign partners, the relaxation of restrictions on exports of lethal military equipment, and the blurring of boundaries between civilian and military technologies.
Like previous editions, the year's paper continues to hype up "external threats," stoke bloc confrontation, and stress deeper defense cooperation with "like-minded nations."
Chen Yang, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Japan Studies under China's Liaoning University, said the document carries a strong "Takaichi imprint" as the first defense white paper issued under her administration, with the contents highly consistent with the military expansion policies promoted since she took office.
Among those policies is the 2026 defense budget, which allocates substantial funding for unmanned systems, satellite communications, and electromagnetic defense monitoring, thereby advancing AI-assisted combat capabilities.
In June, the Takaichi government also pushed through legislation to reorganize the Air Self-Defense Force into the Air and Space Self-Defense Force, formally incorporating space into the Self-Defense Forces' operational domain. Those initiatives closely mirror the white paper's emphasis on "emerging forms of warfare."
In a significant policy change in April, the Japanese government revised the three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology and their implementation guidelines, allowing the export of lethal weapons in principle, and thereby opening up markets for Japan's military industry. Analysts view the move as a key component of the white paper's strategy to strengthen Japan's defense industrial base.
SEEKING TO BECOME A "MILITARY STATE"
Analysts believe that the adjustments and changes in the new white paper fully expose the Takaichi administration's broader objective of establishing a long-term framework for military expansion and armament through the transformation of combat systems, the expansion of the defense industry, the relaxation of arms export controls, and external defense cooperation.
Chen pointed out that the Japanese government plans to revise its three key security documents before the end of this year, making the new white paper an important indicator for monitoring the trends of this revision.
The white paper offers clues about the priorities Japan is likely to pursue in the defense sector over the next five to ten years, Chen added.
In terms of content, many of the expressions in the annual report closely resemble recommendations submitted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in June for revising the three security documents. Those proposals played up alleged "security threats" from neighboring countries and called for expanded reserves and production capacity for ammunition, fuel and spare parts to ensure the Self-Defense Forces possess "sustained combat capabilities," points that align closely with the new content in the white paper.
On defense spending, although the LDP's recommendations stopped short of setting a specific target, they cited NATO members that have substantially increased the ratio of defense spending to gross domestic product as a reference point. Analysts say the white paper adopts a similar narrative, using international comparisons to justify continued increases in Japan's military budget.
CONCERNS OVER DEPARTURE FROM POSTWAR PRINCIPLES
The direction outlined in the white paper has generated growing concern within Japan. Critics argue that continued military expansion and the erosion of long-standing constraints will not contribute to regional peace and stability but heighten tensions across the region instead.
In a recent editorial, the Asahi Shimbun questioned: "Under the banner of fundamentally strengthening defense capabilities, Japan is seeking to acquire counterstrike capabilities against enemy bases and lift restrictions on exports of lethal weapons, thereby driving a shift in Japan's postwar defense policy; what message does this send to neighboring countries?"
Makoto Ito, a Japanese lawyer and the director of the Japan Institute of Constitutional Law, said Japan has steadily deviated from the development path established under its pacifist constitution, tracing the shift from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's promotion of security legislation over a decade ago, through the Japanese government's adoption of three new security documents in 2022, to the Takaichi administration's current military expansion initiatives.
Ito believes that Japan is seeking to establish a comprehensive "wartime system" capable of mobilizing national resources, fundamentally transforming the country from the "peaceful nation" it has proclaimed since the post-war period into a "military state."
Public opposition has also become increasingly visible. Over recent months, demonstrations against the Takaichi government's security and defense policies have been held repeatedly around the National Diet (parliament) in Tokyo and elsewhere, with protesters calling for peace and opposing military expansion.
As one demonstrator told Xinhua, the Takaichi government "has been lying all along. Everything they have done is pushing Japan step by step towards war." ■
