Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pushed back against China's accusations of 'new militarism' during a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Koizumi questioned the criticism, noting that Japan does not possess nuclear weapons or strategic bombers, unlike China.
'Isn't it strange that China, with its huge nuclear arsenal, calls out Japan for so-called new militarism?' he said.
Beijing has stepped up warnings about Japan's military policies, but Koizumi emphasized transparency and deterrence as Japan's goals.
He also warned against the 'weaponization of everything' in the Indo-Pacific region, urging cooperation against coercion.
