China's Foreign Ministry accused Japan of abandoning its peaceful posture,
saying Tokyo has sharply increased defense spending, relaxed controls on lethal
arms exports, advanced deployment of medium-to-long-range missiles, expanded
offensive military capabilities, stockpiled large quantities of sensitive
nuclear materials and pushed to revise its pacifist constitution. The ministry
said these moves amount to Japan having 'removed the mask' of a peaceful state
and warned the international community to be vigilant against a revival of
Japanese militarism.
