It allows Japan's Self-Defense Forces to protect friendly nations' military assets, including warships of the U.S. and "a foreign country in a close relationship with Japan".
With a global perspective, Japan has set its eyes on China. According to the 2016 defense white paper, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has established the 9th air wing at Naha air base in Okinawa, and its Ground Self-Defense Force formed a coast observation unit in Japan's westernmost inhabited Yonaguni Island in an attempt to deter China.
In March, Japan approved its record $44 billion defense budget for this year, the fourth straight annual increase under the country's conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan will continue to attach great importance to its alliance to the U.S., trying to develop seamless military cooperation. By the year 2020, 60 percent of the American forces will be deployed in the Asia-Pacific region.
The white paper criticized the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for continuing provocative military actions such as conducting its fourth nuclear test in January and repeatedly launching ballistic missiles since February.
It said that given technological maturity through the DPRK's previous four nuclear tests, it could be possible that the country has achieved the miniaturization of nuclear weapons and has developed nuclear warheads.
Considering the DPRK's launch of a ballistic missile, purported to be a "satellite" in February and its launch of Musudan in June, the country seems to have been further advancing its overall development of ballistic missiles.
The white paper presented relatively neutral revaluation of Russia. While other Western nations isolate Russia, Japan is eager to approach the big power to settle their territorial dispute. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to make his long-awaited visit to Japan at the end of this year, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in May.
"As for the situation in Ukraine, the result of Russia's engagement in a 'hybrid warfare'to change the status quo to be becoming fixed, and the threat perception regarding Russia's activities is increasing especially in Europe," the white paper said. "Russia's military intervention in Syria is drawing attention as a manifestation of the achievements of Russia's series of military reform as well as a move to increase its international influence."
Though seven Japanese people were killed in a terror attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 1, Japan's defense white paper touched on the issue of international terrorism lightly.
"Some international terrorist organizations are capable of implementing terror attacks in locations far from their bases," it said. "In light of the terrorist attack in Dhaka, Japan is in a situation where it needs to squarely address the threat of international terrorism as its challenge."
