Against the backdrop of China’s increasing expansion, international society has been watchful regarding the development of China’s security situation and its dynamics. In Japan, the NIDS China Security Report published annually by the National Institute of Defense Studies (NIDS) under Japan’s Ministry of Defense is an important publication in this regard. The Report focuses on a single country, China, and is written by multiple NIDS experts, making it more in-depth and comprehensive than the East Asian Strategic Review, another important annual publication.

The Report reflects several Japanese perspectives of China’s security developments, including changes in Sino-Japanese relations, the regional and global politico-economic challenges posed by China, and the PRC’s national defense policies; it also echoes Japan’s own defense policies. The Report has generally promoted Japanese society’s understanding of defense policies and, therefore, garnered popular support domestically. Its multi-lingual form of publication can even facilitate “strategic communication” with international society. The aforementioned Japanese viewpoints of the Report arguably make it also deserving of Taiwan’s proper attention.