Japan's recent decision to significantly increase its defense budget and acquire long-range strike capabilities should not be deemed a "threat," a U.S. State Department spokesman said Friday, with concerns lingering that Japan's move could trigger an arms race with China.
Reiterating that Washington applauds Japan's commitment to "modernize" the bilateral alliance through increased investment and enhanced capabilities, Ned Price said Tokyo's intention is to advance "a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," a vision that the United States also shares.
"What Japan has announced in its new national security doctrine should not be perceived as a threat to anyone," Price told a news conference at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.