Japan has effectively downgraded South Korea's status as an important security cooperation partner in the annual defense white paper approved by the Cabinet on Friday.
The report points out that Seoul's "negative actions" on certain issues, including an incident in which a South Korean navy vessel locked on to a Maritime Self-Defense Force plane with fire-control radar, are affecting Japan-South Korea defense cooperation and exchanges. The white paper mentions South Korea further down a list of countries and regions with which Japan promotes security cooperation than it was in last year's report.
Other cases of a negative South Korean action cited by the white paper include Seoul's request for Japanese ships not to fly the Rising Sun flag at a fleet review, and Seoul's decision to withdraw from the bilateral General Security of Military Information Agreement. The report says the government would continue to call on South Korea to "appropriately deal with these matters."
Since the 2010 white paper, the chapter detailing Japan's security cooperation with countries and regions other than the United States had listed South Korea second, after Australia. In the latest report, South Korea is mentioned fourth, behind Australia, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This change apparently reflects the recent deterioration in Tokyo-Seoul ties. However, the report also states that trilateral security cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea should be strengthened in all fields for dealing with issues related to North Korea.
The section on the North Korean military posture repeats last year's expression that said it poses "serious and imminent threats" to Japan's security. The report also says that North Korea appears to have already miniaturized nuclear weapons and developed nuclear warheads. This assessment was based on the "technological maturity" thought to have been reached through North Korea's six nuclear tests.
Although Pyongyang indicated an intention at the June 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit meeting to work toward denuclearization, it has not shown any sign of abandoning its weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missiles. The white paper suggests there has been no fundamental change in North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities.
The section detailing the military policies and activities of other nations and regions lists the United States first, followed by China in second for the first time. White papers since 2006 had described North Korea's situation second. Defense Minister Taro Kono said Friday at a press conference that China is matching up with the U. S. in terms of national security, with rapidly increasing military expenditures. The report warns that Beijing is focused on securing superiority in new domains such as space and cyberspace.
The report also mentions China and Russia are devoting resources to the practical use of cutting-edge technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence, and analyzes how war in the future will likely change dramatically. To deal with such a situation, the white paper lays out a plan to focus investment on important technologies.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
