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TOKYO: The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, has asked his cabinet to increase defence expenditures to two percent of the country’s GDP by 2027. Japan’s defence spending stands at a longstanding level of around 1%.
Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, announced the plan to his defence and finance ministers. The announcement was made at a time when Japan was overhauling its security and defence strategies to tackle growing threats from China and the geopolitical situation after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Earlier, the defence ministry of Japan submitted a 40 billion US dollars budget request; however, the figure will remain pending till the government completes updating several defence policies of the country.
Japan to Take Budgetary Measures to Increase Defence Spending
Japan’s Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told the media after talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that Japan will take budgetary steps to increase defence spending to two percent of the current GDP of the country by 2027.
The call for an increase in defence spending will get larger support due to the increasing pressure from China, including the presence of Chinese boats around islands disputed with Japan and China’s military exercises. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also helped build support for increased defence spending.
North Korea’s missile launches have also sharpened the views on defence spending as several of these missiles have traveled over Japan.
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