By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced the placement of 20 Japanese entities involved in enhancing military capabilities on its export control list. A further 20 Japanese entities, where the end-users and end-uses of dual-use items cannot be verified, have been added to a watch list.
These actions are taken to safeguard China’s national security and interests, fulfilling international non-proliferation obligations, and prevent Japan’s pursuit of remilitarization and nuclear armament.
The measures are fully justified, reasonable, and lawful, demonstrating China’s commitment to the rule of law and its responsibilities as a major country.
This follows China’s January 6th announcement of strengthened export controls on dual-use items to Japan. The latest move explicitly names specific companies, translates earlier restrictions into targeted, enforceable, entity-based controls designed to effectively safeguard national security and regional peace and stability.
According to international legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, Japan is required to be fully disarmed and must not maintain industries that would enable its rearmament.
However, a number of Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI Corporation, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, have long been active in the defense sector, producing equipment such as naval vessels, fighter aircraft, and missiles.
For instance, multiple subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have participated in the development of Japan’s hypersonic weapon system, the Hyper-Velocity Gliding Projectile for remote island defense. Vessels built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have not only supported Japan’s maritime activities related to the Diaoyu Islands, but have also been supplied to the Philippine Coast Guard for use in the South China Sea, posing risks to regional peace and stability.
China’s measures represent a targeted response to curb Japan’s development of offensive military capabilities and to uphold international law and the post-war international order.
Japan’s push toward remilitarization is following a clear trajectory, with a new military-industrial complex rapidly taking shape.
In recent years, Japan has accelerated its military buildup, with defense spending rising for 14 consecutive years from fiscal 2012 through fiscal 2026, and effectively doubling within three years since 2022.
State-driven support has enabled Japanese defense contractors to reap substantial profits, even fueling what some describe as a “defense bubble” in capital markets. Data show that since November 2022, the stock price of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has surged by more than 650 percent, IHI Corporation by over 480 percent, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries by more than 280 percent. In stark contrast, Japan’s manufacturing sector has recorded an average annual growth rate of less than 1 percent over the same period.
Since Sanae Takaichi assumed power, Japan’s remilitarization process has noticeably accelerated. War preparedness has been elevated to an overriding national priority, with further support extended to defense-related interest groups.
Reports indicate that the Japanese government plans to address defense funding gaps through large-scale bond issuance and a special income tax, while also preparing to establish a “national intelligence agency” this year.
In a recent policy speech in the House of Representatives, Takaichi asserted that Japan must fundamentally strengthen its defense capabilities and pledged to clearly communicate defense procurement needs to industry. These steps are likely to further bind Japan’s defense spending to specific industrial and corporate interests, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.
At the same time, right-wing forces in Japan have shown a growing ambition to pursue nuclear capabilities. In recent months, some Japanese politicians have openly advocated for nuclear armament and sought to revise the long-standing “Three Non-Nuclear Principles.”
It is widely recognized as a “nuclear-threshold state,” having long produced and stockpiled plutonium far exceeding civilian needs. By the end of 2024, Japan possessed as much as 44.4 tons of separated plutonium.
With a complete nuclear fuel cycle and advanced nuclear industry capabilities, Japan is technically capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium. Should right-wing political forces push Japan across the nuclear threshold, it would represent a severel breach of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.
A recent commentary by Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao noted that nuclear non-proliferation remains central to international politics, and that Japan’s pursuit of nuclear weapons runs counter to the interests of Southeast Asia, where reducing arms races and minimizing the risk of conflict are essential to regional stability.
Japan’s remilitarization and nuclear ambitions pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability. The lessons of history make clear that appeasement of militarism amounts to a betrayal of peace. Countering the rise of right-wing forces in Japan requires concrete actions.
China’s law-based control measures aimed to prevent dual-use items from feeding into Japan’s military expansion and firmly curb any resurgence of militarism. China will work together with all peace-loving countries to uphold the post-war international order and jointly maintain regional security and stability.
Japan’s right-wing forces should recognize that a return to militarism leads only to self-destruction. Any reckless attempt to challenge international justice and the global order is bound to meet firm resistance from the forces of justice around the world.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
