Japan PM warns of China 'coercion', vows security overhaul

TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters): Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned of growing Chinese "coercion" in her first post-election speech to parliament on Friday, pledging to overhaul defence strategy, ease curbs on military exports and strengthen critical supply chains.
Takaichi's four-month tenure has been marked by a diplomatic dispute with China after she said Japan could use military force to respond to any attack on Taiwan that also threatened Japanese territory.
Fresh from turning a fragile majority into a landslide victory in this month's lower house election, Takaichi outlined an agenda to counter what she sees as a mounting economic and security threat from China and its regional partners.
With her ruling coalition now holding more than two-thirds of seats, she faces little political resistance.
"Japan faces its most severe and complex security environment since World War Two," Takaichi said, pointing to China's widening military activity and closer security ties with Russia, as well as North Korea's growing nuclear missile capability.
She said the government would revise Japan's three core security documents this year to produce a new defence strategy and would accelerate a review of military export rules to expand overseas sales and strengthen defence companies.
A policy panel of Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party proposed on Friday to scrap rules that limit military exports to non-lethal equipment such as body armour, the Kyodo news agency said.