Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We just heard from the ambassador, who indicated that Japan will be increasing its defence spending to 2% of Japan's 2022 GDP by 2027, which is only three short years from now. Both witnesses mentioned, in their opening remarks, a change in Japan's posture in the Indo-Pacific region. There were references to the big change, which is a shift from the 2012 policy documents on defence and security to the 2022 posture. There were mentions of re-engagement with the Quad.
I think it's safe to say that Japan's 2022 documents are really a seismic change in Japan's posture in the region—a posture that had been in place for some 77 years, since the end of the Second World War. It was a posture based on pacifism. I think it's clear that the new documents position Japan as being prepared for a direct military attack.
In that context, I'm wondering if our witnesses can talk a little bit about Japan's assessment of its risk of being attacked by North Korea or by the People's Republic of China.
Secondly, what would Japan do if Taiwan were attacked by the People's Republic of China?
Feel free to go in any order you want. I'll leave it to the chair to coordinate that.