'Peace state' Japan must think twice about defense moves, German scholar says

With ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers stepping up talks on sharply increasing Japan's defense budget and acquiring capabilities to strike enemy bases, a German scholar has called on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government to think twice before adopting such measures, citing Japan's reputation as a "peace state."

While affirming the need for Japan to play its part in international coordination to deter China from attempting to seize Taiwan and control the South China Sea, as well as curb North Korea's nuclear and missile development, Sven Saaler, a professor of modern Japanese history at Sophia University in Tokyo, questions the rationale behind calls in the LDP to double Japan's defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product.

"Just like Germany, Japan faces the demand to raise its defense budget to 2% of GDP. What that would entail, however, is not clear at all," Saaler said in an interview via email, in reference to perceived pressure from the United States on the two allies to contribute more to the security of their respective regions.