As Canada's navy arrives in Japan, Tokyo begins largest military buildup since Second World War

A third of the Royal Canadian Navy's entire Pacific frigate fleet is visiting Japan. Mind you, that's just two vessels. 

By contrast, Japan's navy is vastly larger and its government is embarking on its largest military spending spree since the Second World War.

Japan has recently announced a $433-billion upgrade plan to turn its armed forces into a major regional force, buying missiles capable of hitting China and Chinese ships and ensuring Japan will become the world's third-largest spender on defence (after the U.S. and China).

That 65 per cent increase in spending will mean Japan hits the mark of directing two per cent of GDP to defence no later than 2027.

But behind both moves — Canada sending ships to the region and Japan's military investment — is a pushback against China's influence, now with approximately 355 ships and submarines in its navy, making it the world's largest by size.

"Japan is really trying to make sure that it has enough capability to defend itself," said Yuki Tatsumi, director of the Japan program at the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs think-tank in Washington.

That is primarily about ensuring Japan is capable of responding to Chinese threats against its outlying islands and territorial waters — as well as the possibility of a wider confrontation involving Taiwan.

There is also the enduring challenge from the nuclear-armed North Korean regime, which has been firing ballistic missiles toward Japan's territorial waters.

Were China to move militarily against Taiwan, U.S. President Joe Biden has said the United States would intervene.

The closest American forces, including dozens of U.S. navy ships, are at sprawling U.S. military bases in Japan. 

If China wanted to stop them, analysts say it may strike Japan.

"Any contingency across Taiwan Strait," said Tatsumi, "will quickly escalate into a situation where Japan's own national security is threatened." 

There are also historical tensions and territorial disputes between Japan and China that have, at times, involved their militaries. 

But China is now in a much stronger position, said Ken Jimbo, a professor in the faculty of policy management at Tokyo's Keio University.