TOKYO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's "new militarism" is no longer a distant warning sign, but an increasingly stark and present threat.

From ramping up its defense budget and advancing the deployment of long-range missiles, to seeking to lift the ban on lethal weapons exports and attempting to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, Japan has been accelerating its push toward remilitarization.

Earlier this month, Japan's Ministry of Defense transported a launcher and other equipment for the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile to a Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The missile, with a range of about 1,000 km, can reach far beyond Japan's territory. Although labeled an "anti-ship missile," it can also strike land targets and clearly possesses offensive capabilities.

Japan has also begun receiving U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and Norwegian-developed Joint Strike Missiles. Meanwhile, the country plans to deploy a new missile, the "Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile" labeled as for island defense with a range of several hundred kilometers, while a more advanced version capable of reaching roughly 2,000 km is under development.

The Ryukyu Shimpo said in an editorial that these moves represent a major shift away from Japan's postwar "exclusively defense-oriented policy."

The shift also exposes the deeper intention of Japan's right-wing forces to break free from the constraints of the country's pacifist constitution and pursue a sweeping loosening of military restrictions.

Before and during World War II (WWII), Japan launched wars of aggression, committed grave crimes against humanity, and brought profound suffering to the world.

In the aftermath of the war, in order to prevent the resurgence of militarism, Japan's pacifist constitution renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. It also stipulates that Japan does not maintain land, sea, and air forces or other war potential, and that the right of belligerency of the state is not recognized.

However, Japan's right-wing forces have spent years chipping away at these military constraints.

Ryuji Ishida, a Japanese modern and contemporary history scholar, commented that Japan's current military trajectory is in essence an attempt to dismantle the pacifist and demilitarization principles established in the postwar era.

Japan's accelerating remilitarization is also injecting instability into regional security.

While Japan has marketed the long-range missiles it is developing and deploying as "counterstrike capabilities," they are in truth the "enemy base strike capabilities" it has long pursued. The Ryukyu Shimpo noted that the missiles are not merely a deterrent, but dangerous tools that could be used for preemptive strikes.

The Japanese government has also continued to strengthen military alliances and advance overseas military deployment. Invoking the "right of collective self-defense," it has steadily expanded the scope of its military activities, moves that not only fuel the ambitions of Japan's right-wing forces but also seriously erode mutual trust with neighboring countries.

Even more alarming is the recent emergence of voices within Japan advocating the possession of nuclear weapons, casting an ever darker shadow over regional peace and security.

These developments are by no means isolated adjustments to defense policy. Their underlying logic is consistent and clear: By gradually dismantling Japan's postwar demilitarization commitments, Japan seeks to transform itself into a war-capable country and even a war-waging nation able to freely exercise the right of belligerency.

This is, at its core, an attempt to overturn the solemn commitments Japan made to the international community after WWII -- militarism resurrected in a modern guise.

The road of militarism leads only to self-destruction. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, when the Allied Forces tried Japanese war criminals at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo after WWII. The just trial laid an important foundation for the postwar peace order.

Today, as Japan's "new militarism" shows signs of revival, its dangerous trajectory demands great vigilance and firm opposition from the international community. Only by genuinely learning from history and committing to the path of peaceful development can Japan earn the trust of its neighbors and the wider world. ■