U.S. Defense Nominee Wants Japan to Boost Defense Spending

Washington, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)–A U.S. Defense Department nominee reiterated his call for Japan to significantly expand its defense budget in his confirmation testimony to the Senate Committee on Armed Services on Tuesday. John Noh, nominated by President Donald Trump to be assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, stressed that Japan is a critical ally of the United States. Referring to countries such as Japan and Australia, Noh said that his country needs to work with its allies and partners throughout the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen defense capabilities while asking that they significantly increase their own defense investments and take greater responsibility for regional security. There are threats the United States cannot address on its own, he said, apparently with China in mind. The Trump administration has urged Japan and NATO to increase their defense spending to 5 pct of gross domestic product. In August, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te announced plans to ramp up the region’s defense spending to 5 pct of GDP by 2030. However, Noh called for an even bigger increase to 10 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]