Japan Sees Debate Over China Military's Role in Security Policy - Bloomberg

TAIWAN’S ECONOMY CONTRACTED 0.16% IN 2Q FROM YEAR EARLIER

By Isabel Reynolds - 2012-07-30T23:58:42Z

Japan’s government highlighted questions surrounding the role of China’s military in determining security policy in an annual defense review as its neighbor steps up deployment of naval assets.

The relationship between the People’s Liberation Army and the Communist Party is becoming more complicated as China’s military modernizes, becomes more professional and undertakes a wider variety of duties, the Defense Ministry said in a white paper today. A more professional military could be tougher for civilians to control, Toshinori Tanaka, director of the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Office, told Bloomberg News.

“The decision-making process has become less clear and that makes it more difficult to deal with,” Tanaka said.

Focus on China’s expanding military has sharpened this year with a dispute erupting over rights to a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea after Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara unveiled plans to buy them. In May, China canceled a visit to Japan by a top general, Guo Boxiong. In Southeast Asia, tensions have flared between China, the Philippines and Vietnam over separate maritime areas.

“Some people have pointed out that in recent years there have been an increasing number of cases where the PLA has taken a clear stance on security issues,” the Defense Ministry said. “On the other hand, it has been pointed out that the number of representatives of the armed forces in the decision-making bodies of the Chinese Communist Party has been falling.”

Defense Councilor Yasuhisa Ishizuka told reporters that the ministry had no official position on which view is correct.

Japan reiterated its concern about the lack of transparency in China’s defense spending, which it said has grown 30-fold over the past 24 years. China is also expanding its ocean-based military presence, while intelligence-gathering missions have been observed in waters close to Japan, the report said.

The white paper also highlighted plans by Japan’s ally the U.S. to step up focus on Asia.

“Recognizing that many of its security and economic interests are closely linked to development in Asia, the U.S. is placing more importance on the Asia-Pacific and strengthening ties with its allies in the region,” the report said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net