Japan's Rearmament Puts China in a Bind

choi

Shi Jiangtao, Japan's Ambitious Rearmament Plan Puts China in a Bind. South China Morning Post (SCMP), Dec 26, 2023 (under the heading "My Take" in the "Opinion" section of SCMP).
https://www.scmp.com/comment/opi ... lan-puts-china-bind

Note:
(a)
(i) Jiangtao Shi  史江涛
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiangtao-shi-史江涛-1036a037/?originalSubdomain=cn
("Experience:]
China Correspondent   SCMP  Apr 2016 - Present
Spokesperson   Shell Companies in China   Feb 2013 - Mar 2015
Beijing Correspondent   SCMP   Jan 2004 - Jan 2013
Diplomat   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC   Jul 1997 - Sep 2002  Incl. 3-yr assignment in Chinese embassy in Libya
Education[:]
University of Cambridge   MPhil, Politics, Democracy & Education   2002 - 2003
Communication University of China [in Beijing]   BA in International Journalism   1993 - 1997")
(ii) "Liu Jiangyong of Tsinghua University"
Department of International Relations  清华大学国际关系学系  刘江永 教授

(b) Walter Sim, Japan Calls China 'Unprecedented Challenge,' Adopts Counterstrike Capability in Sweeping Defence Revisions. Singapore: The Straits Times, Dec 17, 2022
https://www.straitstimes.com/asi ... n-military-build-up
("Japan labelled China as an unprecedented and greatest strategic challenge' in a radical overhaul of its security policy on Friday [Dec 16] * * * the Japanese public – which voted the character for 'battle,' read as sen or ikusa, as the kanji character of 2022 – has been jolted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and heightened military activity in the Asian region")
(i) There is no need to read the rest of this news report.
(ii) Shěn  沈
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shěn
("is romanised as Sum, Sem, Sam, or Shum in Cantonese; Sim in Hokkien; Shim in Hakka; Shim (심) in Korean")
(iii) The kanji 戦 has "sen" as Chinese pronunciation and ikusa (戦) or tataka-i (戦い as Kanji to inform readers about the pronunciation of 戦 in this situation, where hiragana い is "i") as Japanese pronunciations.

(c)
(i) National Security Strategy(NSS)  国家安全保障戦略
National Defense Strategy  国家防衛戦略
Defense Buildup Program  防衛力整備計画
(iii) The three document was published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 外務省 same day (Dec 16, 2022) after 国家安全保障会議 and cabinet meeting 閣議 of that day

(d)
(i) In English: National Security Strategy of Japan. CAbinet Secretariat, December 2022
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/siryou/221216anzenhoshou/nss-e.pdf
(at page 9: "However, China's current external stance, military activities, and other activities have become a matter of serious concern for Japan and the international community, and present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge in ensuring the peace and security of Japan and the peace and stability of the international community, as well as in strengthening the international order based on the rule of law, to which Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation with its ally, like-minded countries and others")
(ii) The corresponding paragraph in Japanese: 国家安全保障戦略. 内閣官房, December 2022
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/siryou/221216anzenhoshou/nss-j.pdf
(also in page 9: "しかしながら、現在の中国の対外的な姿勢や軍事動向等は、我が国と国際社会の深刻な懸念事項であり、我が国の平和と安全及び国際社会の平和と安定を確保し、法の支配に基づく国際秩序を強化する上で、これまでにない最大の戦略的な挑戦であり、我が国の総合的な国力と同盟国・同志国等との連携により対応すべきものである")

The phrase "present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge" in English corresponds to "これまでにない最大の戦略的な挑戦" in Japanese. (これまで = up to now (これ =this; まで = up to, until); ない not; together (これまでにない), it is equivalent to "unprecedented" in English)

(e) Japanese-English dictionary:
* sen-ryaku 戦略 【せんりゃく】
   ^ The ryaku is Chinese pronunciation of kanji 略.
* se-i-bi 整備 【せいび】 (n,v): "(1) maintenance; servicing; (2) putting in place; development; improvement; preparation; provision; equipping; outfitting   <彼は自分の車をよく整備している。 He maintains his car well.>"
   ^ The "se-i" (two syllables, as Japanese language does not have diphthongs) is Chinese pronunciation of kanji 整.
   ^ Japanese language also has 準備, with the same meaning as in Chinese.
      junbi 準備 【じゅんび】 (n,v): "preparation   <準備ができるまでちょっと待ってくれ。 Hang on a bit until I'm ready.>" (where the subject I is omitted for the noun 準備).
* han-geki 反撃 はんげき】 (n,v): "counterattack; counteroffensive"
   ^ The geki is Chinese pronunciation of kanji 撃.
* chōsen 挑戦 【ちょうせん】 (n,v): "challenge"