In its 2004 defense white paper unveiled on Tuesday, the Japanese government reiterated that its military must develop more effective means to bolster its defense against the possibility of nuclear or terrorist attacks.

Outlining plans to introduce a missile defense system, the Defense Agency's annual report suggested Tokyo review its decades-old three principles concerning the current ban on weapons exports as the result of technical research with the United States in that area.

The white paper stressed the missile and nuclear programs in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) pose a threat to Japan's security and need to be closely monitored.

The Japanese government is again exaggerating the so-called threats posed by neighboring countries to advance towards its long-pursued status of being a "normal country" and global military power.

Revising the current ban on arms exports runs counter to the spirit of the country's pacifist constitution.

Japan has never exported weapons under the three arms export ban principles enshrined in its post-war constitution adopted in 1967, as well as a statement issued in 1976 that expanded the list of countries covered by the three principles.

However, the ban was partly lifted in 1983 to allow technological cooperation with the US, with which Japan has a security treaty.

The two nations have been conducting a joint study of missile defense-related technology since 1998.

They are currently trying to jointly produce a more effective missile-defense system to guard against the possibility of faster and more comprehensive ballistic missile attacks by the DPRK.

Moreover, by the end of this year, the Japanese government intends to review the nation's basic defense framework adopted in 1976 and reviewed in 1995, as well as the current five-year defense program.

The planned review of the current arms exports ban and the basic defense framework is essentially a shift of the country's strategic mentality from a defensive to offensive posture.

Given Japan's lack of soul-searching over its history of aggression, coupled with its following in the footsteps of Washington's pre-emptive strategy, the country's defense developments, no matter under what pretext, will certainly arouse deeper concern among its Asian neighbors.

(China Daily July 8, 2004)