The government has just published the 2008 version of its annual Defense White Paper in which domestic and international “defense” situation is pondered and analyzed. The highlight of this year’s paper is Japan’s continuing suspicions on China’s ballooning military spending in which Japan wants more transparency and the reason (intention) behind the buildup itself. Other new highlights of the paper mentions China’s intention to create a unit capable in waging cyber warfare, and a series of important domestic scandals involving Defense Minister Moriya who is accused of corruption, and the Aegis Destroyer’s collision with a fishing vessel implying that domestic “defense” situation is not so good either.  

The Japan Defense White Papers are seriously considered in both academe and political literatures in Japan, since they reflect the governments overall standpoint about Japan’s international military relations. 

Masahiko Komura, Japan’s Foreign Minister admitted that China requested Japan to keep silent about the new information on dumpling poisoning that also hit Chinese consumers this July. Komura said the government went along with the request. Meanwhile, the same incident here in Japan remains hanging without a clear verdict, though we probably know now where the root of the problem originated. The Japan Times has the full content of the interview with the minister, an excerpt is provided below:

The Foreign Ministry had been criticized when media reports revealed Wednesday that it had sat on the information for a month, including that the pesticide in both nations’ outbreaks was the same.

Frozen Chinese gyoza containing methamidophos caused food poisonings in Japan in December and January, which instigated investigations in both China and Japan. The two sides have been in disagreement over where the dumplings were contaminated with pesticide.

During the interview Thursday, Komura claimed China informed Japan of its domestic poisonings, from gyoza made by the same manufacturer, but asked the information to be withheld due to concerns over the ongoing investigation.

“We respected China’s request to keep the information undisclosed,” Komura said.

The video clip is entitled “Censored broadcast of a former town in Beijing” and shows a slice of life inside a walled off area near the Tienanmen Square before the people were forced to move elsewhere to accommodate the government’s development plans before the 2008 Olympics.