Japan approves historic new military strategy for first time since WWII citing threats from China and North Korea
Citing looming threats from China and North Korea, Japan says it will revamp its military strategy and double its military expenditure focusing on raising its counter-strike capabilities. According to the new policy unveiled on Friday, December 16, Japan will shift from the country's pacifist approach, which has dominated its political discourse for decades ever since the US defeated it in World War 2 and changed it's constitution making Japan's military purely defensive in nature. Japan said on Friday its military spending has been beefed up to counter threats from China and a heavily armed North Korea warning that China currently poses the "greatest strategic challenge ever." The cabinet approved three documents which outlined the strategy shift — the National Security Strategy (NSS), the National Defense Program Guidelines, and the Mid-Term Defense Program. The move will now ramp up Japan's security expenditure from 1% of GDP to NATO's standard o...