Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda warns that China’s continuing military buildup could eventually pose a “major threat” if the Chinese government decides to exercise its power.
“I believe their military capability today is not really that great, but if at the current pace they continue to build up their military, then in the future they could become a major threat,” he said in an interview with CNN’s “Late Edition” on Sunday.
Fukuda — who met with President Bush in Washington on Friday — said the issue “is not whether you have a capability; whether the country has the will to use it, that’s the crux of the matter.”
The prime minister also said that Japan’s prohibition on the use of military force does not prevent it from playing a constructive role in promoting global security — for example, by providing humanitarian assistance in Iraq, Bloomberg.com reported.
“Conflicts are not just a matter of fighting war, they are also a matter of reconstruction, improvement in welfare,” Fukuda said. “We would like to consider various ways of supporting U.S. activities.”