LDP, JIP Submit Proposals on National Security Paper Revision

Tokyo, June 24 (Jiji Press)–The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, each submitted proposals Wednesday on a revision of the government’s three key national security documents planned for this year. Both parties proposed increases in the defense budget. The JIP proposals featured a call for a realistic review of the three nonnuclear principles of not possessing or making nuclear weapons or allowing them to be brought into the country. An expert panel set up by the government started in April its discussions on the revision of the three strategic documents, namely the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Buildup Program. Based on proposals by the panel due out around autumn, the government plans to revise the three documents, drawn up in 2022, earlier than initially planned. In its proposals, the LDP stopped short of specifying a target level for defense budget increases. Instead, the party demanded that the transformation of the country’s defense capabilities be completed within five years, citing examples of NATO members aiming to raise the proportion of their defense spending to 3.5 pct of gross domestic product by 2035, South Korea seeking to boost it to 3.5 pct as early as possible, and Australia to 3 pct by 2033. The JIP, for its part, argued that the defense budget should be expanded to over 2 pct of GDP for fiscal 2026. The party requested that “the government seek increases in the budget in the medium and long term to over 3 pct, the international standard for like-minded states.” Meanwhile, the LDP did not mention the three nonnuclear principles, whose revision has long been advocated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The party only called on the government to ensure the credibility of extended deterrence centered on the nuclear deterrence capability provided by the United States. By contrast, the JIP urged the government to “realistically consider” revising the principle prohibiting the entry of nuclear weapons into Japan. Furthermore, the party pointed to so-called nuclear sharing, under which Japan would participate in the operation of nuclear weapons of other countries, especially the United States. “The government should start considering institutional and legal issues involved in such a system as well as operational concepts,” the JIP said. The two parties differed on the issue of submarines equipped with vertical launch systems. The LDP said that “the government should quickly consider the introduction of such submarines, including the use of next-generation propulsion systems,” while the JIP demanded the government “swiftly introduce nuclear-powered submarines.” Both parties requested that the government respond to new types of warfare using unmanned vehicles and artificial intelligence technology, strengthen combat sustainability capabilities and enhance command functions for defense equipment exports. The LDP and JIP abandoned the idea of unifying their proposals in view of the wide gap between them on some issues. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]