TOKYO -- Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono struck a hawkish tone on China in remarks Wednesday, warning that Beijing may try to expand its maritime militarization to the East China Sea.
"When I was foreign minister, I was very careful in not saying China is a threat ... but as defense minister, I must say China has become a security threat to Japan," Kono told an online forum marking 60 years of the U.S.-Japan alliance, hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and sponsored by Nikkei.
