Japan protests China comments on reviving 'militarism'

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed China's claims, saying they are "factually incorrect and ungrounded". Advertisement East Asia Japan protests China comments on reviving 'militarism' Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed China's claims, saying they are "factually incorrect and ungrounded". China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on Feb 14, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Liesa Johannssen) 16 Feb 2026 11:05AM (Updated: 16 Feb 2026 11:11AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST TOKYO: Tokyo said it had lodged a "stern demarche" to China through diplomatic channels after Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi accused "far-right forces" in Japan of seeking to revive militarism. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang weighed in on Beijing's current relationship with Tokyo, which has been under heavy strain since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments about Taiwan in November.Wang said that "Japanese people should no longer allow themselves to be manipulated or deceived by those far-right forces, or by those who seek to revive militarism"."All peace-loving countries should send a clear warning to Japan: if it chooses to walk back on this path, it will only be heading toward self-destruction." Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the claims in a post on X on Sunday (Feb 15) as "factually incorrect and ungrounded". "Japan's efforts to strengthen its defence capabilities are in response to an increasingly severe security environment and are not directed against any specific third country," the statement said.It said there were "countries in the international community that have been rapidly increasing their military capabilities in a non-transparent manner" but added that "Japan opposes such moves and distances itself from them".Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made his stance clear at another session of the conference, followed by a stern demarche against the Chinese side through diplomatic channels, the statement said.Just weeks into her term, Takaichi said Japan would intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.Beijing claims the self-ruled democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.Takaichi was seen as a China hawk before becoming Japan's first woman prime minister in October.She said last week that under her leadership, Japan - which hosts around 60,000 US military personnel - would bolster its defences and "steadfastly protect" its territory. Related: China vows 'resolute response' to any reckless acts after Japan election China says Japan's Takaichi must show 'actions' for dialogue Source: AFP/rk Newsletter Week in Review Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday. Newsletter Morning Brief Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief An automated curation of our top stories to start your day. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Japan China Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST