Japan seeks to increase its defense budget to 2% of GDP

Asia-Pacific, News December 3, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Japan seeks to increase its defense spending by 2% amid a series of North Korea’s missile tests and its increasing military capabilities.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has asked his Cabinet to secure enough funds to raise defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) within the next five years.

According to the Japanese defense ministry, Prime Minister Kishida told his finance minister Shunichi Suzuki and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada that Japan needs to urgently increase its defense budget by the fiscal year 2027. He also said that the government needs to review expenditures and revenue streams in order to decide how it can secure extra funding to increase the defense budget.

The proposed increase would total about $287 billion over the next five years. In comparison, Japan’s defense budget for the fiscal year that ends in March 2023 is $39.66 billion. Japan typically holds are very limited approach toward defense spending.

Japanese administration spends no more than 1% of its total GDP. By spending 2% of its GDP on defense, Japan would come in line with the standards of the NATO alliance, which requires its members to have budget spending accounting for at least 2% of the total GDP. Despite being an ally to many NATO member states, Japan is not a NATO signatory.

Japan’s consideration to review its overall defense strategy comes in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and the regional threats it causes. The government plans to revise its overall national security strategy by the end of this year. That document provides Japan with long-term diplomacy and security policy guidelines.

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's (JGSDF) Type 12 truck-mounted surface-to-ship missile — *^{Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s (JGSDF) Type 12 truck-mounted surface-to-ship missile. (Image Credit: JGSDF/Wikipedia)}*

The announcement to increase defense spending comes only a few days after the reports that suggested Japan seeking to buy a large number of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to some Japanese public media outlets, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are focusing on increasing long-range missile defense capabilities. The U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles are faster and more accurate compared to domestically produced long-range cruise missiles.

The Japanese ministry of defense is also actively working to improve the range of its domestically produced Type-12 surface-to-surface cruise missiles. The current range of these missiles is about 200 kilometers with a maximum range of up to 1000 kilometers. The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s project to enhance the range of these missiles is expected to be completed by 2026.

Japan is also getting standoff, air-launched missiles for its F-35 fighter jets. U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing recently announced a contract with Japan for two KC-46A tankers, bringing the total fleet to six. Two tanker aircraft have already been delivered to Japan, the first in October 2021 and another in February 2022.