Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada (R) speaks to Japanese Maritime Defence Force officers (L) at the Defence Ministry in Tokyo on January 28, 2009. (AFP/AFP via Getty Images)
The Japanese government is poised to set up about 130 ammunition storage facilities across the country in the next ten years, gearing toward boosting constant fighting capability to tackle the Taiwan Strait crisis.
The first four ammunition depots are expected to be constructed in 2023 in Aomori and Oita, two prefectures in the Self-Defense Force facilities, then in other areas by 2027, totaling about 70, and by 2033 build another 60, said Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu in the Upper House budget committee on March 2.
Hamada stressed the need to secure the adequate continued fighting capability of the Self-Defense Forces, including the prompt availability of sufficient ammunition.
The move is part of Japan’s efforts to counter the military threat from neighboring communist China. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) opted to stand on the side of Russia, and its military provocations against Taiwan have been escalating.
Last December, the Japanese government overhauled its defense strategies to raise the defense depending to 2 percent of GDP by 2027, from the previous one or less percent for decades.
Two 8-inch self-propelled artillery guns is fired during the 35th "Han Kuang" (Han Glory) military drill in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county on May 30, 2019. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)
War Readiness for Taiwan Strait Crisis
Earlier on Sep. 6, 2022, Hamada said that Japan was looking into expanding its fuel and ammunition storage facilities in the southwestern islands of Okinawa in response to a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
At that time, the Japanese Self-Defense Force could not make an effective response if the CCP raided Taiwan as its ammunition reserves were for two months’ use. About 70 percent of the ammunition is stored in Hokkaido, 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) away from Taiwan, and only 10 percent is stored in Kyushu and Okinawa, southwest of near Taiwan.
“To protect Japan, it’s important for us to have not only hardware such as aircraft and ships but also enough ammunition for them,” Hamada told Nikkei News.
Kawano Katutoshi, former chief of staff of Self-Defense Forces, called for the strengthening of Japan’s defense capabilities at a Feb. 9 conference in Fukuoka, citing that if war broke out in Taiwan, the confrontation between the United States and the CCP would spread to the Philippines and Japan. The southwestern islands of Japan would be a crucial area of contention.
Kawano said Japan has deployed missile forces to Amami Oshima, Ishigaki Island, and Miyako Island. The U.S. Marine Corps has also programmed a military strategy to deter the CCP navy on these islands.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands prior to their meeting at Akasaka Palace, Japanese state guest house in Tokyo, Japan on May 27, 2019. (Eugene Hoshiko/Getty Images)
Shift to Counterattack from Passive Defense
On Dec. 16 last year, the Japanese government revamped its national security strategy and three related security documents, declaring that it will develop counterattack capabilities, including striking missile launch bases of the opposition.
Japanese media The Mainichi said this was a significant defense change; the revision fundamentally changed its previous security policy of “no offensive power.”
Kyodo News cited a government official on Dec.10, 2022, as saying that in addition to a counterattack capability, Japan will increase the production of domestic long-range missiles and purchase of foreign missiles, as well as cooperation with the United States, which is critical for the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.
Such a shift may pertain to rising military pressure from the CCP, Russia, and North Korea.
The CCP is more of a threat than North Korea, on which lawmakers had a consensus at the 2018 National Security Council, said Kitaoka Shinichi, an honorary professor at the University of Tokyo and Japan’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, in an article published Sept. 6, 2022, on nippon.com.
In recent years, Kitaoka continued, there is a growing recognition that a strictly defensive approach is obsolete and that counter-attacking forces are needed to overwhelm the opposing offensive forces.
In North Korea, Kim Jong Un’s regime is constantly provoking others with nuclear weapons, targeting not only South Korea but also Japan and the United States as a direct threat.
On Feb. 18, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, reaching 900 kilometers (559 miles) away. Hamada said the maximum range could be more than 14,000 kilometers (8,699 miles) based on the flight path, covering the entire U.S. territory.
Axis of CCP, Russia, and North Korea
Muto Masatoshi, former Japanese ambassador to South Korea, wrote an op-ed on JBpress Politics on Feb. 28 that the international community has become more divided after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the environment for North Korea to launch missiles has become easier under the protection of China and Russia.
“After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the alliance between China, Russia, and North Korea has become more robust, forming an axis against international pressure,” Muto said.
On the other hand, the United States, Japan, and South Korea quickly responded four days after North Korea launched its ICBM, holding a ballistic missile defense exercise in the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula on Feb. 22.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said, “This exercise enhances the interoperability of our collective forces and demonstrates the strength of the trilateral relationship with our Japan and Republic of Korea allies.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (L) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 31, 2023. (Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)
On Jan. 31, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan and held talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
During the talks, Kishida announced Japan’s plan to open a representative office in NATO. At a joint press conference after the talks, Kishida said he welcomed NATO’s increased attention and participation in the Indo-Pacific region. The two also confirmed the promotion of a close communication and coordination mechanism, such as accepting Japan’s regular involvement in NATO Council meetings and Chiefs of Staff meetings.
In the joint statement, Kishida and Stoltenberg noted that the Indo-Pacific region is facing escalating challenges from threatening actions by the CCP and provocative behavior by North Korea. In addition, the statement said that Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is not only a crisis for Europe but also a challenge to the global order. Both sides raised immediate concerns about the security of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region.
In addition, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia stepped up to uphold security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region.
