A draft of the government's defense white paper for fiscal 2020 was released on Thursday. A new section on the impact of the coronavirus was added, pointing out that China, which has been providing medical assistance to various parts of the world, is aiming to "expand its influence and form an international and regional alliance in its favor," and specifying that Japan will "closely monitor the situation as a security concern."
The draft also refers to the view that China is trying to gain more influence by disseminating "false information" means such as regarding the infectious disease.
It also raised the issue of a Chinese government vessel tracking a Japanese fishing boat in Japan territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture in May, criticizing the "relentless attempts by forces trying to unilaterally change the status quo."
As for North Korea, the draft restated the view that the country remains a "serious and imminent threat." It pointed out that North Korea is diversifying its attacks by launching a succession of new short-range ballistic missiles, which the draft described as "a new challenge in interception readiness."
The defense white paper is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet in July.
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