video duration 25 minutes and 25 seconds
Tokyo announces its largest military build-up since World War II.
Japan says the strategic challenge posed by China is the biggest it has ever faced.
Besides Beijing, Japan has two nuclear-armed neighbors: North Korea and Russia.
And it expressed its fears of intensifying Russian military activity in its far east, even as Moscow continues its war against Ukraine.
A North Korean missile flew over Japan in October.
Japan wants to significantly increase its military spending, targeting $315 billion in the next five years, or 2% of its GDP.
But Tokyo’s plans are a reminder of the imperial past, when it occupied the Korean Peninsula, parts of China and took over all of East Asia during World War II.
So, what does the new militaristic orientation mean for Japan’s pacifist constitution?
Presenter: Laura Kyle
guests:
Kotaro Tamura Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is a former senator for the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
Nancy Snow Communications Director, International Industrial Security Council. She is also the foreign policy advisor to the Japanese government.
David Aras – Resident Professor of International Politics at the Nanjing Hopkins Center, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
“Subtly charming student. Pop culture junkie. Creator. Amateur music specialist. Beer fanatic.”