This year’s defense white paper stresses that the security environment surrounding Japan is now more fraught than ever. The annual report on security challenges facing the nation, published July 22, cites Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and expansion of strategic cooperation between China and Russia, in addition to China’s rise as a leading military power and North Korea’s continued development of nuclear arms and missiles.

The white paper contains a feature article titled “Deterrence to Create Peace” which echoes the overarching argument made in the report: the urgency to enhance Japan’s defense capabilities and its alliance with the United States.

But lopsided reliance on military power could lead to mutual distrust and a dangerous arms race, creating a situation where accidental clashes are more likely to escalate into serious security crises.

The national security strategy the government plans to update later this year should present a comprehensive security strategy that encompasses efforts on the diplomatic front as well, such as measures to build mutual trust through direct security dialogue and multinational frameworks.

The white paper contains a chapter devoted to the situation in Ukraine. It describes in detail the factors leading to Russia’s invasion and the outlook of the war. It points to a possible evolution in security ties between China and Russia driven by their need to counter increased pressure from the United States and Moscow’s move to place greater weight on its nuclear arsenals.

The report maintains the assessment that China poses “strong security concerns” but adds the country’s behavior that raises such concerns “has become even more pronounced in recent years.” It also points out that the military balance between China and Taiwan has shifted in China’s favor and the gap is growing. It states that Japan will keep monitoring the situation and remain alert by working together with the United States.

In the interim, the defense authorities have not made sufficient efforts to ease tensions through dialogue. In a chapter titled “Security Cooperation,” the document argues for expanded cooperation and exchanges between the Japanese and Chinese security authorities. But the two countries have yet to establish a national security hotline for direct and swift bilateral communication in security emergencies.

As for South Korea, a partner Japan needs to work with closely in response to security threats posed by North Korea, the white paper says Seoul has continued taking “negative actions” and calls for more helpful behavior.

With regard to defense budgets, the report focuses mainly on data that indicates low levels of Japan’s defense spending in comparison with other countries. It says Japan’s defense expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are lower than the figures for the other members of the Group of Seven, as well as Australia and South Korea. In per-capita terms, it points out, Australia, South Korea, Britain, France and Germany spend twice to three times more on national defense than Japan.

As the white paper acknowledges, however, there is no internationally accepted definition of defense outlays. Moreover, countries have different systems for defense budgeting.

In its campaign platform for the July 10 Upper House election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party indicated that Tokyo should aim to raise its defense budget to 2 percent or more of GDP, a target for the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But the report does not explain the size of Japan’s current defense budget as a share of GDP under NATO standards.

In a January news conference, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Japan’s defense expenditures in the original budget and supplementary budgets for fiscal 2021 were about 1.24 percent of GDP under the NATO criteria, stressing it was a simple mechanical estimate.

But in a July 22 news conference, he said the figure is not included in the white paper because it is not based on accurate estimates of related expenses.

If the government wants to win broad public support for defense spending expansion, it needs to disclose as much basic and vital data for debate as possible.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 23