Japan Accelerates Defense Spending to Counter China Threat

Japan is rearming as fast as it can, resulting in the biggest change in its security posture since 1945.

A Japanese honor guard stand at attention during a welcoming ceremony for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 28, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Commentary

In Tokyo’s view, the rising Chinese military is a tangible, proximate threat—not a distant one.