By Zhang Wang and Wang Hui
张旺 王辉
According to a report released on Sept. 19 by Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese daily newspaper, Nobuo Kishi, former Minister of Defense of Japan and incumbent special advisor to Prime Minister, called on Japan to increase the defense budget to top 2% of GDP, and clamored for the need to consider what Japan could do if "something happens to Taiwan" in an interview with the paper.
据日本《读卖新闻》19日报道，日本前防相、现任首相安全保障辅佐官岸 信夫在接受该报采访时，呼吁日本有必要将防卫预算提升至GDP的2%以上，并叫嚣有必要考虑当“台湾有事”时，日本能做什么。
Being asked about what should be focused on in the revision of Japan's National Security Strategy (NSS), Nobuo Kishi claimed that Japan faces "Triple-threat by China, Russia and DPRK" and no other country is surrounded by such strong military existence. Therefore he said that "Japan must acknowledge its weakness of self-defense and improve its defense capability to be able to fight back and deter."
在回答有关“修改《国家安全保障战略》应该重视哪些地方”时，岸信夫称，日本必须应对中国、俄罗斯、朝鲜“三面威胁”。纵观世界，被如此强大的军事力量包围的只有日本。日本的防御能力必须在承认其脆弱的基础上进行修改。岸信夫宣称，日本“必须具有反击能力，同时发挥威慑作用”。
When it came to the reason for increasing Japan's defense budget to over 2% of GDP, Nobuo Kishi said, "China's fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets are about four times of Japan's and the number of its submarines is about 2.6 times that of Japan. It is also necessary for Japan to keep a certain amount of equipment. However, the Japanese academic community has a strong sense of resistance to applying high-tech to national defense. To smoothly adopt excellent civilian technologies, I think it is in need of eliminating the (academic community's) sense of rejection to and avoidance of engaging in national defense."
在谈及日本防卫预算为何要提升至GDP的2%以上时，岸信夫称，“中国的第四代、第五代战斗机数量约是日本的4倍，潜艇数量约是日本的2.6倍。日本也需要保证数量。但在日本，学术界对将科技用于防卫有较强的抵抗感。为了顺利地吸收优秀的民间技术，希望消除（学术界）对防卫的排斥感和回避感”。
When it came to the situation across the Taiwan Strait, Nobuo Kishi said that Japan is close to Taiwan in geological location, therefore Japan should think about what it could do and fully communicate with the US against the scenario of so-called Chinese mainland's attack on Taiwan.
在回答如何看待台海局势时，岸信夫表示，日本靠近台湾，若出现中国大陆攻打台湾的情况，日本自己应思考能做什么，日美之间有必要充分沟通。
According to Hu Jiping, vice president and researcher of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), in an interview on September 20, Nobuo Kishi's speech has been misleading. First, the logic of expanding military spending on the grounds that China's weapons are several times that of Japan's in number is wrong. There is a significant gap between China and Japan in terms of national territorial area, and China's legitimate defense needs are thereby not of the same level compared with Japan. Moreover, national security cannot be safeguarded by weapons alone. Second, Cross-Strait unification belongs to China’s internal affairs. Japan has clearly recognized that there is only one China since 1972. The so-called concept that "issues of Taiwan are those of Japan" is a violation of Japan's diplomatic principles.
中国现代国际关系研究院副院长、研究员胡继平20日对《环球时报》记者表示，岸信夫的发言充满误导性：第一，以中国武器几倍于日本为由扩充军费的逻辑本身就是错误的。两国国土面积相差甚远，中国的正当国防需求体量和日本不在一个档次。而且，国家安全不是仅靠武器来维护的。第二，两岸统一是中国内政。从1972年开始，日本就明确承认只有一个中国。所谓“台湾有事就是日本有事”，违反日本外交原则。
As the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan is approaching, it seems that senior Japanese government officials haven't proactively created a good atmosphere, but repeatedly made negative remarks against China instead. On September 9, the 10th anniversary of the so-called nationalization of the Diaoyu Islands by the Japanese government, Matsuno Hirokazu, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, once again falsely claimed that the Diaoyu Islands "have been Japan's inherent territory." On September 15, during the talks between Japan's Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington, the two sides once again made irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question.
随着中日邦交正常化50周年纪念日的临近，日本政府高官似乎并未积极营造良好氛围，反而多次发表消极对华言论。9月9日，也就是日本政府所谓“国有化”钓鱼岛10周年之际，日本内阁官房长官松野博一再次妄称，钓鱼岛“是日本固有领土”。9月15日，日本防卫大臣浜田靖一在华盛顿与美防长奥斯汀举行会谈期间，双方再次就台海问题说三道四。
Hu said that judging from the atmosphere this year, Japan has been relatively passive in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In previous years, the Japanese Embassy in China used to hold a reception, and no such plan has ever been heard this year. The commemorative activities held in Japan were jointly organized by the Japanese non-governmental organization Keidanren and the Chinese Embassy in Japan. As the Japanese public sector holds impassive gesture toward the event, it is not surprising that right-wing politicians like Nobuo Kishi expressed themselves as such in public. It is reported that Japan may revise its National Security Strategy (NSS) by the end of 2022, which may position China as a "major threat". If it is true, such action will be unprecedented.
胡继平表示，从今年的氛围来看，日本在纪念两国邦交正常化50周年方面比较消极。往年，日本驻华大使馆都会举办招待会，今年反而没有听说有此计划。在日本搞的纪念活动，也是日本民间机构经团联和中国驻日大使馆合作举办的。日本官方不积极，岸信夫这样的右翼政客出来说上面的话也就不奇怪了。有消息称，日本今年年底前会修改《国家安全保障战略》，可能将中国定位为“重大威胁”，如果消息确实，这将是前所未有的。
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
