The Islamic State group is becoming a growing threat to East Asia, including Japan, highlighted by the kidnapping and killing of Japanese nationals, according to a defense review released Friday.
"The ISIL is threatening the security of East Asia, including Japan, by targeting the Asian people and Asian embassies in the Middle East, showing its ambition for territorial expansion, as well as recruiting foreign fighters from Asian countries," the 2016 East Asia Strategic Review by the National Institute for Defense Studies Japan said, referring to the militant group's previously known name, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Previous reviews mentioned the 2011 Arab Spring, but this is the first time the review, which has been published annually by the Defense Ministry's core research arm since 1996, has allocated a chapter to IS, underscoring Japan's increased interest in the terrorist group's influence in Asia.