Japan raises alarm over China’s military, its Russia ties and Taiwan tensions in new defense paper

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has stepped up its alarm over China’s assertiveness in the region, its growing military ties to Russia and its claims on Taiwan in a defense paper that is the first under Tokyo’s new security strategy calling for a major military buildup. This year’s edition of the defense white paper was released Friday and approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet. It says the current security environment is the worst since the end of World War II. Japan’s National Security Strategy adopted in December states the need to bolster its strike capability with long-range missiles in what’s seen as a controversial break from Japan’s self-defense-only postwar principle.