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Reuters (31 May 2026)

Rae Wee and Jun Yuan Yong

Japan's Defence Minister ​Shinjiro Koizumi on Sunday rejected accusations of "new militarism" by Tokyo and criticised China for rapidly expanding its military with ‌little transparency, underscoring mounting tensions between the two countries.

China continues to increase its defence spending at a high level, Koizumi said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, adding: "China's external approach and military activities are matters of serious concern for Japan and the international ​community at the same time."

Rebutting criticism that Japan was embracing new militarism, he said: "Think about it. ​There's a country that has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan ⁠has neither of such weapons, and yet Japan is labelled 'new militarism'?"

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