The Cold War ended about 20 years ago and Japan is finally trying to execute a drastic transformation of the Ground Self-Defense Force by shifting its focus from the north to the southwest — effectively relaxing its guard against Russia and bolstering it against China.
Facing China's growing military power, the new 10-year national defense guidelines the Cabinet endorsed in December spell out plans to bolster the defense of islands to the southwest, most notably Okinawa and the disputed Senkaku chain in the East China Sea.
The GSDF will procure 17 MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and 52 amphibious vehicles and create new units dedicated to defending "remote islands" like the Senkakus, which are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan.