April 2, 2026

For decades, the geopolitical architecture of East Asia was defined by a predictable, if uneasy, equilibrium. Japan, bound by its post-war pacifist constitution, maintained a long-standing "exclusively defense-oriented" posture, relying on the United States for offensive deterrence while focusing its own Self-Defense Forces on domestic protection. This week, however, that equilibrium underwent a fundamental shift.

On March 31, Japan's Ministry of Defense confirmed the first operational deployment of long-range standoff missiles at Ground Self-Defense Force bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka prefectures. These weapons, including the Type-25 surface-to-ship guided missile with a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, are capable of reaching parts of China. While Tokyo frames this as a necessary measure for "counterstrike capabilities," the move represents a stark departure from the security norms that have governed the region since 1945.

To understand how Japan arrived at this juncture, one must look at the steady erosion of its traditional military restraint over the last decade. Since the mid-2010s, Tokyo has incrementally reinterpreted its constitutional limits. What began as a shift toward "collective self-defense" under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has, under the current administration, culminated in a massive expansion of hardware and ambition.

Read more:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-04-02/The-growing-arms-race-across-the-East-China-Sea-1M0IXe1bs0o/p.html