China on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, issued a sharp rebuke of Japan's decision to relax longstanding restrictions on defense equipment exports, accusing Tokyo of pursuing “Japanese neo-militarism” and attempting to undermine the post-World War II international order.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed “serious concern” over the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) approval of a draft proposal to abolish limits that currently confine outbound transfers of Japanese defense equipment to five non-lethal categories—such as rescue, transport, and patrol vessels.
“The latest move has once again laid bare the Japanese right-wing forces’ ambitions to breach the postwar international order, break free from domestic laws and remilitarize Japan,” Mao stated during a regular press briefing in Beijing.
She warned that the international community must “stay on high alert, jointly safeguard the outcomes of the victory in WW II and the post-war international order, and firmly reject reckless moves of Japanese neo-militarism.”
Under the current framework, established in the postwar era and reinforced by Japan's pacifist constitution (Article 9), defense exports have been tightly controlled to prevent the proliferation of lethal weaponry. The LDP proposal, as reported by public broadcaster NHK, would expand permissible categories to include items with lethal capabilities, subject to strict conditions: recipient nations must have a defense equipment and technology transfer agreement with Japan, and countries actively engaged in armed conflict would generally be excluded unless “special circumstances” apply.
The policy shift aligns with Japan's broader security posture under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has advocated for a more assertive defense role amid rising regional threats, particularly from China and North Korea. Last November, Takaichi publicly stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially justifying the exercise of collective self-defense under Article 9 reinterpretations.
Beijing reacted strongly to those comments at the time, viewing them as provocative and a violation of its “one China” principle. China regards Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory and has vowed to achieve reunification, by force if necessary.
Mao Ning's remarks on Wednesday frame Japan's export liberalization as part of a pattern of remilitarization, echoing longstanding Chinese criticisms of Tokyo's defense buildup, constitutional reinterpretations, and closer military cooperation with the United States and other Indo-Pacific partners.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on the international community to reject what it described as attempts to “break free from domestic laws” and revive militarist ambitions, urging collective vigilance to preserve the postwar order established after Japan's defeat in 1945.
The proposal still requires formal cabinet approval and legislative action, but its advancement within the LDP signals Tokyo's intent to deepen defense industrial cooperation with allies, including potential exports of advanced systems such as air defense radars, missile components, and unmanned platforms—technologies Japan has developed to high standards but historically withheld from export.
The development comes amid heightened Sino-Japanese tensions over Taiwan, the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands dispute, and broader strategic competition in the East and South China Seas. It also occurs as Japan continues to increase defense spending toward 2% of GDP by 2027 and pursues joint development projects with partners like Britain and Italy on next-generation fighter aircraft.
No immediate retaliatory measures were announced by Beijing, but Chinese state media and commentators have already begun framing the move as evidence of Japan's “dangerous rightward shift.”
The episode underscores the deepening strategic divide in East Asia, where Japan's efforts to normalize its defense posture and contribute more actively to regional security are viewed by China as provocative and destabilizing.
