'Defense,' not 'warfare,' stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities

'Defense,' not'warfare,' stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7. Japan is taking lessons on "new ways of warfare" gleaned from the Ukraine and Iran conflicts and making them its own, with the government considering making "new ways of defense" a key tenet of revisions to the country's security policy. But it is also aiming to win public support for its military buildup in the ostensibly pacifist nation, a goal that is evident in the verbal gymnastics officials have performed as the term "new ways of defense" ( atarashii mamorikata) -- as opposed to " new ways of warfare" ( atarashii tatakaikata) -- becomes more prominent in briefings, speeches and official documents. The concept of "new ways of warfare," which emerged following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and references the large-scale use of drones, missiles and artificial intelligence, has been adopted by Japan and scores of other nations. It has gained further prominence among defense planners with the large-scale use of drones and missiles in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.