What Prompted Japan to Adopt Its ‘Earth-Shattering’ Military Buildup Plan?

Postwar pacifism jolted by China fears, Ukraine war, questions about U.S. dependability

For longtime observers of Japanese politics and society, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s announcement last week that Tokyo would not only double its defense spending from 1% of GDP to 2% in the next five years, but also acquire counter-strike capability to hit enemy missile launch sites, is nothing less than “earth-shattering,” as one veteran Japanese di…