Japan pushes unity as US defense chief slams Europe
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- Koizumi said division weakens deterrence and urged stronger global coalitions at the Shangri‑La defense conference in Singapore.
- Hegseth rebuked Western European allies for not devoting enough resources to defense at the same conference.
- Trump has been extremely harsh about NATO, echoing his criticism at the conference.
- Takaichi led a cabinet decision to lift Japan’s ban on lethal weapons exports, prompting criticism from China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo.
- Guo accused Japan of “reckless moves toward a new type of militarism” after the policy shift.
Why it matters: European allies must boost defense spending or risk a deterrence gap that adversaries will exploit; Japan’s arms‑export policy shift fuels Chinese protest, raising regional tension and testing alliance cohesion.
