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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned of increasing Chinese “coercion” in her archetypal post-election code to parliament connected Friday (February 20, 2026), and pledged to overhaul defence strategy, easiness curbs connected subject exports and fortify captious proviso chains.
Ms. Takaichi’s four-month tenure has been marked by a diplomatic quality with China aft she said Japan could deploy subject unit to antagonistic immoderate onslaught connected Taiwan that besides threatened Japanese territory. After turning a fragile bulk into a landslide triumph successful this month’s little location election, Ms. Takaichi outlined an docket aimed at countering what she sees arsenic a increasing economical and information threat from China and its determination partners.
With much than two-thirds of seats present controlled by her ruling coalition, she faces small absorption to her plans.
“Japan faces its astir terrible and analyzable information situation since World War Two,” Ms. Takaichi said, pointing to China’s expanding subject activity, its person information ties with Russia and North Korea’s rising atomic rocket capability.
The authorities would revise Japan’s 3 halfway information documents this twelvemonth to nutrient a caller defence strategy and would accelerate a reappraisal of subject export rules to expand overseas income and fortify defence companies, she added.
“China has intensified its attempts to unilaterally alteration the presumption quo done unit or coercion successful the East China Sea and South China Sea,” she told lawmakers.
Ms. Takaichi has hastened a subject build-up launched successful 2023 that volition treble Japan’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by the extremity of March, making it 1 of the world’s biggest subject spenders, contempt its pacifist constitution.
She besides announced plans for a nationalist quality assembly chaired by her to consolidate accusation gathered crossed agencies, including constabulary and the defence ministry.
Japan does not person overseas oregon home quality services specified arsenic the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or Britain’s MI5.
Editorial | Tense waters: On China-Japan tensions
Beyond security, Ms. Takaichi projected a Japanese mentation of the U.S. Committee connected Foreign Investment (CFIUS) to surface overseas concern successful delicate sectors, and said rules governing onshore purchases by foreigners would beryllium reviewed. She pledged to fortify supply chains to trim dependence connected “specific countries” and enactment with allies to secure captious materials, including uncommon earths, astir Minamitori, a distant Pacific island.
Ms. Takaichi besides promised to velocity the restart of reactors idled since the Fukushima atomic works catastrophe successful 2011.
“A federation that does not instrumentality connected challenges has nary future,” she said successful concluding remarks. “Politics that lone seeks to support cannot animate hope.”
