As relations with China continue to deteriorate, Japan is embarking on its biggest military buildup in at least four decades.

The Japanese government is taking uncomfortable steps to prepare its citizens for a possible future war that its military would not be able to avoid.

No end in sight to spat between Japan and China over Taiwan, as neither Tokyo nor Beijing shows signs of backing down.

The 15-year effort by Japan is a model for countries now scrambling to reduce their dependence on Beijing’s critical metals.

Diplomatic crises often change the stakes for each, and for the Japanese, the consequences of this crisis are multifaceted. Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, was the initial focal point. As the Washington Post editorial board aptly noted,

A 15-year strategy of subsidies, overseas partnerships and political risk-taking shows how Tokyo slowly loosened Beijing’s grip on critical minerals while the US and Europe are only now waking up.

Japan is threatening China militarily which is "completely unacceptable", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his German counterpart, after Japan said that Chinese fighter jets had aimed their radar at Japanese military aircraft.

China and Japan are two of Asia’s most powerful nations and the region’s biggest trading partners. Yet centuries of intense rivalry mean their economic embrace can never be taken for granted.