Tokyo, Sept. 18 (Jiji Press)–The revamped cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to accelerate debates on strengthening the country’s defense capabilities, with the government planning to update its three key national security-related documents by year-end. As further increases in defense spending may be inevitable, the focus will be on the size of the defense budget and financial resources. China and Russia are stepping up their military activities around Japan, prompting Tokyo to speed up work to strengthen deterrence. The government earmarked about 11 trillion yen in defense budget in fiscal 2025, achieving its goal of raising the proportion of defense spending to gross domestic product to 2 pct two years ahead of schedule. With the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump urging U.S. allies to increase the proportion to 3.5 pct, however, the Takaichi government faces a challenge of how it should mention the matter in the security documents through the update. The Japanese government’s current plan calls for spending about 43 trillion yen on measures to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities over the five years through fiscal 2027, and the costs are planned to be covered mainly with hikes in the corporate, tobacco and income taxes. If the defense budget is increased further, more financial resources would need to be secured. The current special agreement on Japan’s host-nation financial support for U.S. forces in Japan is set to expire at the end of March 2027. While bilateral negotiations on a renewal of the pact are expected to start in earnest in autumn this year, the U.S. side, which has been frustrated at the current framework on burden-sharing, may demand an increase in the Japanese financial support. The security environment surrounding Japan is increasingly severe. The Chinese military is reinforcing its activities. In July, a nuclear-powered submarine of the country’s navy fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile toward the Pacific, leading Japan to raise alert. Also, China and Russia are bolstering their military cooperation, and North Korea continues its nuclear and missile development programs. Against the background, a senior official of Japan’s Defense Ministry said, “We need to speed up work to strengthen deterrence.” Artificial intelligence and drones were utilized in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent fighting between the two countries as well as in the military conflict between the U.S.-Israeli camp and Iran. Under the circumstances, Japan faces a pressing need to take measures to adapt to new ways of warfare, such as the introduction of AI in the command and control systems of the Self-Defense Forces. The administration of Takaichi, who also heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, aims to reinforce Japan’s defense and economic power in an integrated way by developing cutting-edge technologies and fostering related human resources. The Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s coalition partner, which joined the cabinet for the first time in the latest shake-up, demands a revision of Japan’s three nonnuclear principles–not possessing, not producing and not permitting the entry of nuclear weapons–and the country’s possession of a nuclear submarine. These issues are expected to be on the agenda in defense-related discussions between the government and the ruling coalition. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
