July 19^th, China Strategic Culture Promotion Association held a press conference in Beijing. The non-governmental organization issued 2012 Japanese military power report and 2012 U.S. military power report.

Like Us on Facebook

According to the Japanese military power report, regarding the issue of Diaoyu Islands, the report said that Japan's recent moves "are military preparation for both possible future conflicts" over the islands and "intervention in conflicts across the Taiwan Strait." Since tensions on the Diaoyu Islands increased in 2012, Japan's military deployment, equipment upgrading, military drills and construction of military facilities have all been accelerated. Although this is not meant to provoke China into military action, it has undoubtedly complicated and endangered the situation in which accidents might be triggered and the dispute that already existed might escalate out of control.

The report said, "Japan has stepped up efforts to normalize national defense and become a major military power" under the two consecutive governments led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his predecessor, Yoshihiko Noda, who was the Democratic Party of Japan's leader at that time. Since Shinzo Abe took office in December 2012, the Japanese government has taken "historic steps" in attempting to revise the constitution, establish national defense forces, amend the national defense program guidelines, exercise collective self-defense, set up the National Security Council, raise military spending and build up military strength. Tensions over the Diaoyu Islands can hardly be eased in the short term as the Abe administration further strengthens its hawkish stance.

The report pointed out "in terms of threat assessment, the U.S. still takes China as its greatest potential security challenge. A series of American-led joint military exercises, such as Rim of the Pacific 2012 and Exercise Gold Cobra 2012, regard China as a target." So at the same time, Japan took the advantage of the current complex and multi-faceted China-U.S. relations to boost its defense forces to target China in 2012.