Japan PM vows defense shakeup over China tensions

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to overhaul the country’s national defense strategy in the face of Chinese “coercion.”

Takaichi won a landslide in a snap election this month, and in her first speech since the vote outlined her new, assertive agenda. She sparked a diplomatic dispute with Beijing last year by saying Tokyo could defend Taiwan if China were to invade.

She has since hastened a military buildup, despite Japan’s pacifist constitution, making it one of the world’s largest defense spenders. She also said she would attempt to diversify supply chains of vital minerals — Japan is heavily dependent on China for many raw materials — and accelerate the restart of nuclear reactors mothballed after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown.