Japan Rejects China's "Militarism" Label, Points to Beijing's Own Buildup

🗾 TOKYO — Beijing called Japan militarist; Tokyo just called it projection. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Koizumi's Shangri-La rebuttal lands while Hegseth is on the same stage warning allies to rearm — the optics are coordinated whether or not they're scripted. Japan's defense expansion under the revised 2022 security strategy is the exact capability Washington needs if CENTCOM stays Gulf-pinned. China's "militarism" framing is a spoiling move against that alliance depth, and Tokyo's public rejection signals it won't absorb the label quietly.