Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

Japan should learn from history and be cautious in words and deeds concerning military and security issues, so that it can win the trust of its neighboring countries and the international society, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday after Japanese defense chief Yasukazu Hamada stated that Japan needs to improve its missile interceptor and counterattack capabilities.

Hamada made the remarks during a Monday interview per discussions on hypersonic weapons. Some observers believed the declaration is targeted toward China, Russia and North Korea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Tuesday's routine press briefing that Japan has gone further and further on the road of military expansion in recent years, including greatly increasing military budgets, vigorously developing anti-missile, outer space, hypersonic weapons and other military technologies, strengthening US-Japan military cooperation, and seeking to develop its so-called counterattack capability. Some people even advocated for "nuclear sharing" with the US, allowing the deployment of American nuclear weapons to Japanese territory.

This (Japan's action) will seriously violate the pacifist constitution and the exclusively defense-oriented policy, seriously threatening the peace, security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, Zhao said.

Japan should earnestly learn from the lessons of history, adhere to the path of peaceful development, respect the security concerns of its Asian neighbors in practice, and be cautious in its words and deeds in the field of military security, so as to truly win the trust of its neighbors and the international community, Zhao noted.

Global Times