Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore on May 29, 2026 (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP, Getty Images)
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Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that despite increasing defense spending and revising arms export guidelines, “the door to dialogue is always open” to the international community.
At the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Prime Minister Koizumi stated that Japan has always respected international law, adding, “Japan’s path as a peaceful nation has been valued by the region and the international community. This fact is true and will not be swayed by false claims.”
He also said that accusations that Japan is involved in “neo-militarism” “couldn’t be further from the truth.” According to state media Xinhua News Agency, on May 28, China’s Ministry of Defense called on the international community to jointly contain Japan’s ‘new militarism.’
Mr. Koizumi said, “Think about it. There are countries that have large numbers of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers. Japan has neither of those things, yet Japan is labeled as a neo-militarist. Isn’t this strange?”
Japan’s defense minister said he was “regretted” not being able to meet with China’s Dong Jun at the forum, stressing that Beijing did not have senior cabinet-level officials present at the talks.
Prime Minister Koizumi said that while it is true that there will be differences in perception and friction between countries, there is no need to repeat “baseless claims in the absence of the other party.”
After Mr. Dong was absent from the talks for the second year in a row, the Chinese government had dispatched a junior delegation led by Major General Meng Xiangqing of the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University.
At the beginning of the conversation, Meng harshly criticized Tokyo, pointing out that 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1946, where Japanese leaders were tried for their crimes in World War II.
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