"Major full-length dramas" have been staged one after another concerning the issue of Japan's military security since the very start of 2007. A board has been put up in the defense agency to change and upgrade its status to a cabinet-level Ministry of Defense on Jan. 9; Shinzo Abe became Japan's first prime minister to visit the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Jan. 12; the Japanese government began studying on how to ease restrictions for the Self-Defense Force in its overseas operation on Jan. 13; and the cabinet released a draft plan on the establishment of the "State Security Council"of the Japanese version. These serial hasty strategic moves by the Japanese government cannot but arouse attention and surmises of people globally for its real intention.

Since the entry into the 21st century, Japan has become increasingly resolved in its objective of "making itself a big power," owing to great changes in its domestic "political ecology" and external environment. At the same time, it has taken its response to the so-called "rise of China" as the most vital topic in its external relations, and particularly as a factor it could not averted but "overcome" toward the goal of "making itself a major political power." In the process of coping with these two relevant strategic topics, Japan is striving to resort to its military strength as a direct method for international contact and a useful asset to press ahead with its strategy as a big power.

Due to restrictions that had been imposed it in the past, Japan had to hinge chiefly on its "economic capacity" to seek the status of a major global power instead of resorting to its comprehensive measures. With the end of the cold war and particularly since the beginning of the 21st century, however, the application of the military factor in the implementation of its external strategy has turned more active and energetic in Japan, with an increasingly accelerated capacity. Its government has, from the different levels, undertaken to develop and lay stress on this military strength as a strategic resource. Apart from adjusting and straightening out its setup and increasing its military strength, the most directive role is to let the Self-Defense Force "go globally" and involve itself actively into the worldwide security affairs. In so doing, its intention is precisely to alter its basic principled concept of solely defense and shift its military strategy to "preemptive attacks and interference overseas", expand its right to speak in global security affairs and thus add "chips" to its goal as a "major political power".

What merits particular attention is that some Japanese are still bent on with their strategy of "containing China". Japanese leaders talked incessantly and graphically about "China's military threat" in Europe recently in a bid to obstruct EU from lifting its arms embargo on China. Moreover, media reported earlier that the latest Japan-US joint military exercises was targeted directly at China. All these moves show that the relevant Japanese department has still not settled the issue of positioning Japan-China ties in its national development strategy. Faced with a rapidly-emerging China and changes that have occurred in the relative strength of both nations, some forces in Japan have made antagonistic and even hostile response in the security field, such as in matters relating to Japan-US alliance, arms embargo and the marine rights protection, in an attempt to use the military factor to accomplish their set plans.

In attaining their ambitious goal for "a major political power," some new-generation statesmen born in the post-World War II era are imbued with a still strong and dedicated political resolve. With dual characteristics in Japan's China policy, critics acknowledged, there are variations in the future trend of Sino-Japanese ties. For the sake of peace and prosperity in the East Asian region, the two nations should make joint, dedicated efforts to free themselves from doubts and misgivings and take substantial measures to go on increasing their mutual trust and cooperation in the bilateral political and military relations.

Editor: Yan