Japan Brief/FPCJ, No. 0941
July 28, 2009

Government Announces 2009 White Paper on Defense

At a cabinet meeting on July 17 the government approved the 2009 White Paper on Defense (Defense of Japan 2009) submitted by Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada. The international situation surrounding Japan is changing rapidly, including the sharp increase and expanding scope of activity of China’s military power; a second nuclear test by North Korea and the strengthening of its ballistic missile capabilities; the question of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s declining health and successor problem and the possibility of a change in that country’s power structure; and the announcement by US President Barack Obama of new strategies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. The white paper explains the Japanese government’s understanding of this increasingly fluid international situation and gives an overview of its security policies in response. Reflecting the present uncertain situation, the 2009 white paper on defense has attracted much interest.

In its overview of the “Security Environment Surrounding Japan” (Part I), the 2009 white paper comments that the problem of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, and of ballistic missiles, which act as their delivery systems, continues to pose a serious threat to the international community. It also points out that the terrorist activities of international terrorist organizations dispersed around the world are continuing and regional conflicts with complex and diverse backgrounds exist in various regions. In the Asia-Pacific region, where elements of uncertainty and a lack of transparency remain, the white paper stresses that the presence of the US military is extremely important for regional stability.

As a description of one effort in the Ministry of Defense’s maritime policy, the 2009 white paper also includes a detailed explanation of antipiracy activities in the waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.

Major Newspapers Draw Attention to China’s Increased Military Activity and Possible Political Instability in North Korea

Among the white paper’s lengthy contents, the Japanese media showed special interest in its remarks concerning China and North Korea. In their July 17 evening editions the three leading dailies of Japan (the Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun) reported the release of the white paper under the headlines “Kim Jong-il’s health attracts attention; white paper on defense envisions possible political instability” (Yomiuri); “Deep concern about the lively maritime activities of the Chinese military” (Asahi); and “White paper expresses concern about China and warns of instability in North Korea” (Mainichi).

Regarding the aim of China’s military modernization, the Asahi article quoted the white paper’s comment, “In recent years China has begun to work on acquiring capabilities for missions other than the Taiwan issue” Furthermore, the article quoted the white paper as saying, following a description of the advance of Chinese destroyers into the Pacific Ocean and China’s dispatch of destroyers to the sea off Somalia, “The Chinese Navy is improving its capabilities to perform operations in distant waters.” Regarding the situation in North Korea, the Asahi article noted that the white paper touched for the first time on Kim Jong-il’s health and successor problem and quoted it as saying, “We cannot rule out the possibility of the regime becoming unstable upon a possible change in power structure in the near future.”

Major Newspaper Editorials

Three of Japan’s five major newspapers carried editorials on the 2009 White Paper on Defense.

Regarding the problem of North Korea, the Yomiuri editorial (July 24) stated, “The white paper said it was difficult to completely rule out the possibility that North Korea would, in the relatively near future, succeed in downsizing a nuclear weapon to the extent that it could be loaded as a warhead on a ballistic missile. Japan must continue its diplomatic efforts to pressure North Korea under the UN Security Council sanctions resolutions in cooperation with China, South Korea, and the United States.” The Yomiuri also remarked, “China’s defense spending has seen double-digit growth for 21 consecutive years.” It went on, “The United States, South Korea, India, and Australia are increasing their defense budgets, as are China, North Korea, and Russia. By contrast, Japan has trimmed its defense budget by between 0.1 percent to 1 percent annually since fiscal 2003.” The Yomiuri warned, “If Japan continues pruning its defense budget . . . it could send the wrong signal that Japan takes its national security lightly.”

The Nikkei editorial (July 19) focused almost entirely on Chinese military trends. It stated that, using a map, the white paper “demonstrated clearly that in October 2008 a Chinese destroyer that had passed through the Tsugaru Strait passed south of the main island of Okinawa and entered the East China Sea. Presumably the Chinese side knew that it was being watched, but surely it will not be pleased to have the incident described in the white paper.” The Nikkei thus expressed hope that the white paper would have a cautionary effect. It concluded, “The sense of alarm shown by the white paper also serves as a diplomatic message to China: Refrain from acts that cause worry among neighboring countries. That is common sense in the international community. We urge China, which is increasing its military spending without disclosing the content, to abide by that common sense.”

The Sankei Shimbun editorial (July 20) observed, “China’s military activities were also mentioned in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the white paper, but the latest edition is the first time for it to go as far as expressing concern, saying that ‘China has begun to work on acquiring more capabilities than needed to prevent the independence of Taiwan’ and ‘China is trying to build capabilities to perform operations in areas more distant from China’s shore.’” It also noted, “Regarding the military balance between China and Taiwan too, the 2009 white paper goes further than previous descriptions and expresses alarm that it ‘is shifting in favor of China.’” The Sankei also said, “With North Korea’s ballistic missiles in mind, the white paper is right to emphasize the need for concrete space and maritime policies, including the development of a warning and surveillance satellite, but that alone is not enough. In the revision of the National Defense Program Guidelines scheduled to be conducted by the end of this year, it will be necessary to keep these increasing threats in mind. . . . Centered on protection of the seas, we want the government to make efforts to strengthen Japan’s defense setup steadily and quickly through Japan-US coordination.”

(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)
*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.


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