Shinzo Abe's right wing cabinet adopted a defense policy package on Tuesday to enhance its military might, strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and shift its defense priorities from its northern reaches to the southwest spearheaded against China.

The defense package includes the new 10-year national defense program guideline, the national security strategy, and a 5-year defense buildup plan that envisions 24.4 trillion yen (US$240 billion) of military spending from 2014-2019, a 5 percent increase over the five years ending March 2014.

These documents show that the LDP-led government is moving rapidly to make Japan a "strong military power". They fall into line with America's plan to make Japan a major forward base against China as part of Washington's strategy of "rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific".

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Abe relies on Japan's alliance with the United States as its mainstay. But his strategy also calls for Japan to "work even harder to become a major player in international society" by building alliances with Australia, South Korea and ASEAN. He visited every ASEAN nation during his first year as PM, and last weekend he hosted a special summit with those nations in an attempt to isolate China.

Abe unveiled US$20 billion of concessionary loans and aid to ASEAN over the next five years, brazenly trying to influence their policy.

The Asahi Shibun reported a wide gap in priorities emerged in the special summit between Japan and the ASEAN nations. The final statement only referred to the principle of "freedom of over-flights", and did not mention China's new ADIZ.

From 2014 to 2019, Japan plans to buy three drones, 28 F-35A stealth fighters, 17 Osprey aircraft, 52 amphibious vehicles and five destroyers, including two Aegis anti-ballistic missile systems to make a total of eight Aegis destroyers in its fleet.

At a time when Japan faces a towering national debt, Abe is trying to raise sales tax in order to cut debt and to finance his ambitious military acquisitions. Whether there will be a rise in sales tax next April is anybody's guess.

Abe's new defense guidelines are clearly aimed at China, as they call to double the number of Japan's fighter squadrons at its Naha base on Okinawa to two (20 planes each), in order to enhance Japan's air power adjacent to China's ADIZ. New surveillance drones will also be stationed at the Naha base, along with a fresh unit of E-2C early warning planes. Japan uses E2Cs to monitor the region around the Diaoyu Islands. The guidelines advocate the creation of a "Dynamic Joint Defense Force" intended to help air, land and sea forces work together more effectively and for rapid deployment to retake remote islands—a preparation for island warfare with China.

Japan's national security strategy also calls for an easing of a long-standing ban on weapons exports, in order to allow Tokyo to jointly develop weapons systems with the United States and other countries.

Therefore, Shinzo Abe and the Japanese right are forging ahead with their plan to revive militarism, using the pretext of "China threat," a threadbare lie.

Their moves are causing alarm, especially among Japan's neighbors. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared, "Indonesia is deeply concerned at the prospect of disputes [between Japan and China] erupting into open conflicts, which will have adverse impact on all countries in the region."

It is all the more worrisome that Abe and the Japanese right refuse to admit, let alone, atone for Japan's war crimes, and are bent on repeating the tragic errors of their warrior ancestors.

As Shinzo Abe continues to talk about "proactive pacifism" and "contribution to peace and stability", China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan's aggression in World War II raises questions about Tokyo's latest intentions. "We hope Japan will not just pay lip service to peace, but will make it a concrete reality and play a constructive role in preserving peace and stability in the region," she said.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/zhaojinglun.htm

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