China warns Japan against missile deployment, citing risk of self-destruction

China's Defense Ministry on Wednesday warned Japan that retreating to its belligerent and militarist past would "lead nowhere but self-destruction".

Jiang Bin, the ministry's spokesman, made the remarks in an online news briefing in response to reports that Japan has started deploying long-range missiles capable of attacking enemy bases.

According to some media reports, the missile's range is approximately 1,000 kilometers, covering the coastal areas of neighboring countries, and its deployment will be completed within this month.

Jiang said that for some time now, right-wing forces in Japan have made frequent moves to accelerate remilitarization, including the push to amend the pacifist Constitution, expedite revisions to the three national security documents, and attempt to alter the three non-nuclear principles.

"Now, with the planned fielding of long-range offensive weapons whose range far exceeds its territorial boundaries, Japan has completely stripped away its pretense of an exclusively defense-oriented principle, passive defense strategy, and self-defense policy," the spokesman said.

Jiang warned of the neo-militarism in Japan, which he said has become more than just a perilous tendency but a very real threat that may wreak havoc on regional peace and security.

"Let me make it clear to the Japanese side: retreating to its belligerent and militarist past leads nowhere but self-destruction," he said. "Should the Japanese side dare to use force to violate China's sovereignty and security, it will only meet a head-on blow and suffer a greater and inevitable defeat."