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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Japan's Defense White Paper | |
| 2026-08-10 | |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited Text taken from the Telegram channel of @china3army [ColonelCassad] Japan has released a new Defense White Paper: China is officially recognized as the main strategic threat. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has presented (pfd in Japanese ) the 2026 Defense White Paper. The 610-page document pays special attention to China, Taiwan, and the future nature of war. Key findings: China is called the largest and unprecedented strategic challenge to Japan's security. Tokyo believes that Beijing is deliberately turning military activity around Taiwan into a permanent norm. Military pressure on Taiwan has increased sharply. According to Tokyo, more than 3,700 sorties by Chinese aircraft and about 2,600 passages by PLA Navy ships have been recorded near the island in 2025. Large-scale exercises are seen as preparation for a blockade, precision strikes, and a joint operation of all branches of the armed forces. The "gray blockade" scenario is considered the most likely. Japan believes that Beijing could initially use its coast guard and civilian forces to conduct inspections, restrict shipping, and isolate Taiwan, and then, if necessary, quickly escalate to a full-fledged military operation. Cooperation between China and Russia is also key. The Japanese government believes that joint actions by China and Russia, in addition to a clear demonstrative intent toward Tokyo, could also be linked to the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific. If China takes military action in the Taiwan Strait, Russia could simultaneously increase military pressure in the airspace and waters north of Japan or in adjacent areas, potentially forcing Japan and the United States to divert resources and increasing risks to regional security. China is actively expanding its naval capabilities beyond the First Island Chain. The document notes the joint operations of the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the commissioning of a third aircraft carrier, Fujian. Tokyo assesses that these forces could be used to deter US and Japanese intervention in the event of a crisis over Taiwan. For the first time, a separate section on new-generation warfare has been added. Japan draws lessons from the conflict in Ukraine and believes that future wars will be built on a combination of UAVs, artificial intelligence, satellite systems, cyber operations, electronic warfare, and psychological operations. Regarding the Taiwan Strait and the southwestern islands, unmanned aerial vehicles could be used to monitor the Miyako Strait, eastern Taiwan, and the Bashi Channel, track Chinese aircraft carriers, and conduct anti-submarine operations, mine laying, creating decoys, and suppressing maritime operations. Particular attention is given to the widespread use of inexpensive drones. The Japanese military acknowledges that expensive air defense missiles are incapable of repelling drone swarms for long, requiring a multilayered air and counter-drone defense system. The threat also extends to space and the information domain. The document examines scenarios of attacks on satellites, cyberattacks, electronic countermeasures, sabotage of undersea communication cables, and large-scale disinformation campaigns. Japan is accelerating its preparations for a potential crisis. The deployment of long-range anti-ship missiles (in Kumamoto), Tomahawk cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles (in Shizuoka) continues, as does the development of intelligence and information systems and the expansion of cooperation with the United States and its allies. "Protracted War." The large-scale consumption of weapons and ammunition by Russia and Ukraine underscores the importance for Tokyo of building up peacetime weapons stockpiles and strengthening its production capacity. Underwater infrastructure can be deliberately destroyed to disrupt communications and create panic in the early stages of a war. Examples include incidents involving damage to communication cables between Taiwan and Matsu, Penghu, and the northern islands. The US-Japan alliance remains the foundation of Japan's security. Tokyo will continue extended deterrence, joint command and training, with US support, and will deepen military cooperation with Australia, India, the Philippines, and European countries to "prevent" the escalation of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait or the East China Sea into a direct confrontation between Japan and China.
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| Posted by:badanov |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2026-08-10 15:02 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: mossomo 2026-08-10 13:21 |