Politics Reuters: China alarmed by Japan's growing military role under Takaichi

China's military publications have abruptly taken a much more anti-Japanese tone; the People's Liberation Army Daily said in March that Japan's declared stock of around 44 metric tons of plutonium was enough for 5,500 atomic warheads, if it wished to build them. It said Japan had worked "systematically" ‌to cultivate its defence ⁠industry "under the covers of civilian technology", preparing for a "strategic shift in defence policy and unleashing its military-industrial potential". Japanese officials say it is simply responding to the actions of China, whose military manuals have long suggested that controlling Taiwan would make it much easier to blockade or "starve" Japan in any future conflict.

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