Japan To Spend $318 Bn On Defence Amid Military Buildup Of China, North Korea

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set a new target for military spending over the next five years of USD 318 billion which is 1.5 times the current level, as the country seeks to build up its defence capabilities, including the use of preemptive strikes.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Kishida instructed him and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki to develop a budget that would increase Japan's military spending by more than 50 per cent from USD 159 billion in 2023-2027.

According to Hamada, the planned increase is intended to “firmly secure the necessities to pursue substantial reinforcement” of Japan's defence.

Kishida's government is currently finalising a revision of its national security strategy and mid- to long-term defence policies, which would allow for the use of preemptive strikes in a significant shift away from Japan's postwar self-defence-only principle. 

Preemptive strikes, according to critics, may violate Japan's pacifist constitution. According to the government, a “strike-back” capability should only be used if an enemy attack is imminent.

The three key documents and the budget are scheduled to be released in late December.

Over the last decade, Japan has steadily increased its international defence role and military spending. It plans to double its military budget to about 2 per cent of GDP in the next five to ten years, citing a NATO standard, as threats from North Korea and China's territorial assertiveness grow.

Kishida's ruling party wants to more than double Japan's annual defence budget to around USD 70 billion, making the country the world's third-largest military spender after the United States and China.

In a report issued last month, a government-commissioned experts' panel said that Japan must urgently strengthen its deterrence by adding cruise missiles, interceptors and other equipment, and improving commercial ports and airports for emergency military use.

However, funding the cost of the increase will be difficult for a country already struggling with a massive national debt and an ageing and declining population.

Kishida's proposal appears to have resulted from a compromise between the governing Liberal Democratic Party's initial request of USD 355 billion for the next five years and the Finance Ministry's proposal of USD 260 billion

Plans for Japan's military buildup and increased spending are also a source of concern for many of its neighbours, including the two Koreas, which were victims of Japanese aggression in the first half of the twentieth century.

Meanwhile, China has expanded its claims to almost the entire South China Sea by constructing artificial islands outfitted with military installations and airfields. Beijing also claims a string of Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea and has increased military harassment of self-ruled Taiwan, which it claims is part of China and should be annexed by force if necessary.