Japan exploring counter-strike option sends ripples in China

Amidst public sparring between US and China over Taiwan at the Shangri La dialogue, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stole the strategic limelight with his comment about Japan reinforcing its military capabilities in the next five years including counter-strike option.

Since the word counterstrike is part of nuclear parlance, it has sent ripples all over China as long pacifist Japan wakes up to the threat from Communist China in East Asia. Kishida's defence minister Nobuo Kishi also lambasted Japan's nuclear neighbors for possessing and developing nuclear weapons and flouting rules.

The statements from Japanese leadership were in recognition of the threat faced by China-Russia joint military exercises using nuclear bombers in East China Sea on May 24, the day QUAD summit was taking place in Tokyo.

The global community watched the meetings between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe with the latter also meeting his Australian counterpart Richard Marles on side-lines of the Shangri La dialogue in Singapore with the focus clearly being the Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.

While the Chinese Minister targeted US for interference in Taiwan affairs, the main take away from the Singapore talk-shop was recognition of threat by Japan and its moves to counter it.