Japan's defense paper full of hyperbole and lies

In its 2016 defense white paper, Japan interferes in the South China Sea. [Photo by Cai Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

The defense white paper issued by Japan on Tuesday goes to great lengths to play up what it portrays as China's military threat to the region and tries to depict China as a violator of international laws.

The politically motivated report is blatantly biased, full of hyperbole and lies, and serves to pave the way for Japan to jettison its pacifist Constitution that prevents its military from fighting abroad.

It points accusing fingers at Beijing on issues ranging from the Diaoyu Islands to the South China Sea, calling the lawful activities of Chinese vessels in waters near China's Diaoyu Islands "incursions" into Japan's territory, and flights by Chinese aircraft around the islands "intrusions".

The purpose is to deny China's undisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands.

The paper turns a blind eye to China's call for peaceful settlement of the maritime disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral talks between the parties directly involved, and wantonly accuses the country of making coercive attempts to change the status quo.

The fact is that China has exercised the utmost restraint even though most of its isles have been illegally seized and occupied by other nations, and it has been the last country to conduct any land reclamation work in the region.

The report also fabricates "dangerous activities" by the Chinese military, for example, repeating the lie that a Chinese naval vessel targeted its fire control radar at a Japanese destroyer in 2013. China has long rejected the accusation as something "inconsistent with the facts".

The paper also seeks to reinforce the false portrayal of China as a bully in the region, saying the country is ready to "realize its unilateral assertions without making any compromises".

However, the fact is that China has settled its land border disputes with 12 of the 14 neighboring countries through negotiations, with lots of compromises made.

The paper also questions China's military buildup, as well as its transparency on military and security matters.

Actually China has published military white papers every two years since 1998, and its "active defense" strategy－"we will not attack unless we are attacked"－poses no threat to any peace-loving nations.

It is Washington's rebalancing-to-Asia strategy－in a bid to contain a rising China－that has sparked the tensions and instability in the region.

Yet the Japanese paper heaps praise on the US for its "role in the peace and stability of the world".

So much for its credibility.