China Fears Japan Becoming "Israel of Asia" Amid Military Buildup

Israel's role in West Asia has three features - the US support through military aid and diplomatic cover, technological and military superiority over its neighbours in the region and willingness to act decisively in regional conflicts, often pre-emptively, according to a report in European Times.

"Japan increasingly mirrors this profile. Its defence budget is on track to reach 2 per cent of GDP by 2027, placing it among the world's largest. Tokyo is acquiring long-range strike capabilities, expanding joint drills with the US and Australia, and openly declaring that Taiwan's security is inseparable from its own. For Beijing, this signals a shift from pacifist restraint to proactive deterrence," Khedroob Thondup, who has served as Member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile for three terms and is the President of the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre Darjeeling since 1987, wrote in the European Times.

Japanese leaders have stated that a Chinese military action on Taiwan would lead to Japan's involvement. This statement of Japanese leaders echoes Israel's readiness to intervene against existential threats, backed by US guarantees. Japan's position transforms Taiwan from a bilateral issue into a multilateral flashpoint for China.

Like Israel anchors US power in West Asia, Japan could have military presence of the US in Asia. American bases in Okinawa and missile defence systems already make Japan indispensable to the US strategy, according to the report.

Japan is also deepening ties with Australia, India and other regional partners, building a network similar to Israel's quiet partnerships with Gulf nations against Iran. This coalition between Japan and its regional partners will affect China's efforts to isolate Taiwan and dominate the Indo-Pacific. Japan's current trajectory is not about imperial ambition but about democratic solidarity and strategic necessity.

"The implications are significant. A Taiwan crisis could draw in Japan, the United States, and Australia, transforming a regional conflict into a broader war. The economic fallout would be immediate, with trade restrictions and tourism already showing how quickly geopolitics spills into markets. At the same time, the ideological dimension should not be overlooked, as Japan's democratic resilience, like Israel's, challenges China's narrative that authoritarianism represents Asia's future," wroteThondup.

"China's fear is not simply about Japan's military buildup. It is about Japan becoming a permanent, US-backed bulwark in Asia an Israel-like state whose very existence locks in strategic rivalry. If this transformation continues, the Taiwan question will not be a bilateral dispute but the epicentre of a decades-long confrontation between democracy and authoritarianism in the Indo-Pacific," he added.

- IANS