Japan's Defense Ministry Seeks A Record $49 Bln Defense Budget For FY2024

© AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe  

Japan Today: Japan's Defense Ministry to seek record ¥7 tril budget for FY2024 

TOKYO: The Defense Ministry will seek a record-high budget of over 7 trillion yen for the next fiscal year, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday, a move in line with Japan's new security strategy to eventually double its annual defense outlays. 

The defense spending plan for the year starting April could surpass the current fiscal year's record 6.8 trillion yen budget if the request is accepted. This increase reflects Japan's intensifying efforts to address severe security challenges posed by China, North Korea, and Russia. 

The upcoming budget request, to be made later in the month, will include funds to accelerate the introduction of homemade, long-range missiles, as the country has vowed to acquire the ability to strike enemy territory, called "counterstrike capabilities".

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Update #1: Japan Defense Ministry to seek record 7 tril. yen budget for FY 2024 (KYODO News)  

Update #2: Japanese Military May Request Record $49 Bln Defense Budget for Fiscal 2024 (Sputnik)  

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. For the foreseeable future the Japanese are going to significantly increase their defense budgets for each year.

Japan To Double Military Spending

 

VOA: Japan Announces Major Defense Overhaul 

Citing regional threats from China and North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a major overhaul Friday of the country's defense strategy, including a significant increase in spending and the acquisition of long-range, preemptive strike weapons. 

At a Tokyo new conference, Kishida said with "the security environment" around Japan feeling more unstable, his government considered whether Japan's current Self-Defense Forces could deter threats to the country based on the capabilities of its opponents and new ways of fighting. 

He said after conducting a realistic simulation, it was determined Japanese defense forces were insufficient.  

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WNU Editor: China has responded to this increase in military spending .... China firmly opposed to Japan's updated defense documents (Kyodo). 

Japan To Double Military Spending  

Japan approves a historic new military build-up -- DW

Japan defence: China threat prompts plan to double military spending -- BBC

Japan Moves to Double Military Spending, With a Wary Eye on China -- New York Times  

Pacifist Japan to double defense spending, buy counterstrike missiles as China and North Korea fuel anxiety -- CBS  

Japan plans military build-up as China, Russia stoke war fears -- Global News/Reuters  

Japan approves long-range weapons to counter growing threats from rivals -- CNN  

Japan OKs enemy base strike capability in major defense policy shift -- Kyodo News

Japan's New Prime Minister Calls For Greater Military Capability And Spending

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force's Asagiri-class destroyer Hamagiri arrives in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. © Reuters/YURI MALTSEV  

Reuters: Analysis-With an eye on China, Japan's ruling party makes unprecedented defence spending pledge 

TOKYO (Reuters) - An unprecedented election pledge by Japan's ruling party to double defence spending underscores the nation's haste to acquire missiles, stealth fighters, drones and other weapons to deter China's military in the disputed East China Sea. 

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) included a goal of spending 2% of GDP - about $100 billion - or more on the military for the first time in its policy platform ahead of a national election this month. 

Experts don't expect new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to double spending anytime soon, given Japan's debt-saddled public finances and a pandemic-stricken economy. 

But it is a sign that the pacifist nation could over time abandon a commitment to keep military budgets within 1% of GDP - a number that for decades has eased concern at home and abroad about any revival of the militarism that led Japan into World War Two. 

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Update: Japan Leader Calls for Greater Military Capability, Spending (Military.com/AP)  

WNU Editor: The new PM is listening to his advisers .... Tokyo Official: Japan, US May Lose Military Edge Over China (The Defense Post).

Japan Chooses Mitsubishi To Lead The Development Of A New Stealth Fighter Jet

The logo of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is seen at the company's Sagamihara plant in Sagamihara, Japan, July 4, 2016. REUTERS/Maki Shiraki/File Photo 

Reuters: Japan picks Mitsubishi Heavy to lead development of new stealth jet fighter 

Japan on Friday said it had picked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7011.T (MHI) to lead the development of a new stealth fighter jet that Japan wants operational by the mid-2030s to counter advanced Chinese aircraft. 

“We awarded the prime contract to Mitsubishi Heavy,” a ministry of defence spokesman said. The fighter jet project, which is expected to cost about $40 billion, comes at an opportune time for MHI, as the company is pulling back from plans to build its SpaceJet regional passenger aircraft as coronavirus travel curbs leave airlines with little cash to buy new planes. 

The decision was expected because MHI is Japan’s only jet fighter manufacturer, and no other company bid for the contract. Other suppliers and partners will most likely be identified by the end of the year. 

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Update #1: Japan picks Mitsubishi Heavy to develop own stealth fighter (AP) 

Update #2: Japan names contractor to build its future fighter jet (Defense News) 

WNU Editor: Japan wants to support its military industrial base. This is putting money where its mouth is.

Japan Proposes Record Defense Budget Citing Increased Threats

The Defense Ministry plans to deploy new fighter jets in 2035 to replace its current F-2s. (Photo courtesy of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force)

Japan Times: Japan to seek record defense budget under Suga's continuity policy

The Defense Ministry will seek a budget of over ¥5.4 trillion for fiscal 2021 — another record — government sources said Monday, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed to continue with his predecessor’s policy of bolstering Japan’s capabilities in new domains.

The seventh consecutive year of all-time high requests compares with the ¥5.31 trillion sought in the ministry’s initial budget for the year ending in March. The plan comes amid growing concerns about the country’s fiscal health, the worst among major economies, with over ¥1.1 quadrillion worth of public debt. In fiscal 2020, the new government debt issuance is set to exceed ¥90 trillion to a record high in response to a coronavirus pandemic.

“The Defense Ministry’s request for another modest increase in defense spending reflects the changing understanding of the security challenges Japan is facing and the tools it wishes to acquire to mitigate these challenges,” said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

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Update #1: Japan's Defense Ministry eyes record $51.6bn in spending under Suga (Nikkei Asian Review)
Update #2: Japan proposes $51B defense budget, citing increased threats (UPI)

WNU Editor: This is the seventh consecutive year of all-time high requests. I expect this trend to continue.

Japan's Ruling Party Proposes New Weapons To Give The Military The Ability To Directly Strike Targets In Other Countries

Reuters: Pacifist Japan ruling party proposes strike capability to halt missile attacks

TOKYO (Reuters) - Pacifist Japan took a step closer to acquiring weapons able to strike North Korea on Friday after a ruling party committee approved proposals to consider acquiring strike capability to halt ballistic missile attacks.

Giving long-range munitions to Japan’s Self Defence Forces is a controversial issue for a country that renounced the right to wage war after its defeat in World War Two. The proposal is also likely to anger China and Russia, which could fall within range of any new strike weapons.

“Our country needs to consider ways to strengthen deterrence, including having the capability to halt ballistic missile attacks within the territory of our adversaries,” the proposal document said.

The proposals, crafted by senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers including former defence minister Itsunori Onodera, will be presented to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as early as next week.

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WNU Editor: This is a major shift in Japanese defense policy. One can also argue that Japan wants to have a first strike capability .... to target and destroy installations that Japan fears will be used against them.

More News On Japan's Ruling Party Proposing New Weapons To Give The Military The Ability To Directly Strike Targets In Other Countries

Japan's ruling party broadens vision for defensive strike option -- Nikkei Asia Review
Japan Edges Toward Military Pre-Emptive Strike Option -- WSJ
North Korea on ALERT: Pacifist Japan takes step closer to acquiring weapons able to strike -- Express
Strike capability in enemy territory proposed for Japan -- The Telegraph

Japan's New Ship-Killing Super-Missile Is Ready To Be Deployed

A Japanese F-2 with an early ASM-3. Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Japan Readies Its Ship-Smashing Super-Missile

The Japanese navy has one major mission in wartime: To bottle up the Chinese fleet, preventing Beijing’s warships from reaching the open Pacific Ocean.

Which is why Japanese planners take anti-ship missiles very, very seriously. And why, last year, the Japanese defense ministry took a hard look at its newest anti-ship missile design ... and decided to go back to the drawing board.

The ASM-3 lacked range, the ministry decided. Rather than field the missile in its current, 100-mile incarnation, officials sent the weapon back to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with one major note.

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WNU Editor: Japan is definitely focused on China's navy. But it is not only anti-ship missiles that Japan is basing its maritime defense on .... Why Japan’s Soryu-class Stealth Submarines Are So Deadly (National Interest).

Japan Halts Plans To Deploy Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System Citing Costs, Technical Issues, And Local Opposition

The main control center at the U.S. military's Aegis Ashore missile defense test complex in Kauai, Hawaii. Japan's Aegis Ashore sites are expected to be of a similar design, but with Lockheed Martin's Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) instead of the AN/SPY-1 seen here. Kyodo via AP Images

Warzone/The Drive: Japan Halts Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Plans Indefinitely Amid Public Opposition

Technical issues and concerns about cost, coupled with public outcries and embarrassing blunders have hampered the project.

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono has publicly announced a decision to suspend the establishment of two Aegis Ashore missile defense systems in the country indefinitely. Kono cited technical issues and rising costs as the main factors, but there has been significant domestic opposition to the program, which already forced Japanese authorities to abandon plans to deploy one of the missile defense systems at a site in the country's northeastern Akita Prefecture.

Japan's top defense official informed members of the press about the shift in the country's missile defense plans on June 15, 2020. Kono said he had told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the decision on June 12. The Japanese government finalized their initial plans to set up the two Aegis Ashore sites back in December 2017. The U.S. government formally approved the sale of the missile defense systems, as well as ancillary items and support services, a complete package valued at around $2.15 billion, in January 2019. Japan had already pushed back the date it hoped to have both Aegis Ashore systems up and running from 2023 to 2025.

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More News On Japan Halting Plans To Deploy The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense

Japan to scrap costly land-based US missile defense system -- AP
Japan halts deployment of Aegis Ashore missile defence system -- Reuters
Japan's Defense Minister Says He Has Halted Deployment of Aegis Ashore System -- New York Times
Japan Halts Plan for $5 Billion Lockheed Missile Defense System -- Bloomberg
Japan Backing Away From Aegis Ashore -- USNI News
Japan Drops Plan to Deploy US Missile System -- VOA
Japan suspends Aegis missile defence system deployment -- New Straits Times
Japan halts plans to deploy Aegis Ashore missile shield, citing costs & technical issues -- RT

Japan's Strategy To Beat China's Navy Is To Deply Long-Range, Air-Launched Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles

Reuters

National Interest: F-35s And Supersonic Missiles: This Is Japan's Strategy To Beat China's Navy

Japan is extending the range of its weapons.

Here's What You Need To Remember: Japan already plans to deploy F-35B stealth fighters on carrier-like “helicopter-destroyers.” A new air warfare strategy would incorporate American-made standoff air-to-surface missiles. A long-range anti-ship missile would just be a continuation of that trend.

Japan is developing a longer-range, air-launched anti-ship cruise missile.

The reason? China’s navy is deploying longer-range anti-aircraft missiles, which means Japanese aircraft will have to launch their anti-ship weapons from longer range or risk being shot down.

Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya cited longer-range air defenses on warships belonging to “some countries,” though there could be little doubt that he was referring to one nation in particular.

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WNU Editor: The Japanese Navy does not want to be out-gunned .... The Chinese Navy Now Outguns Japan’s Own Fleet—But Don’t Panic Quite Yet (Forbes).

Japan Purchases Island To Conduct Military Drills With The U.S.

The purchase will be used to set up a military base in response to growing threats from Beijing. Source: Supplied

News.com.au: Japan purchases $215m Mageshima island to conduct military drills with US

One country has just made a very pricey purchase in response to growing threats from the Chinese government - and it won’t go down well.

The Japanese government has purchased an uninhabited island valued at 16 billion yen ($AU215 million) on the East China Sea, in response to growing threats from Beijing.

Mageshima, an 8.2sq km block of land on the Osumi Islands between Kyushi and Okinawa prefecture, hosted an important airfield for the Japanese military in the closing stages of World War II.

“It’s important to secure the site for field carrier landing practice from the viewpoint of security so we will continue to try to build a permanent facility at an early date,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said of the agreement.

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WNU Editor: This is a blunt message to China.

Japan's Military Requests A $50.3 Billion Defense Budget

Reuters: Japan's military seek eighth straight annual hike in defense spending

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s military has asked for an eighth straight annual increase in defense spending to help pay for U.S.-made interceptor missiles, stealth fighters, and other equipment it wants to counter threats from North Korea and China.

The Ministry of Defence budget proposal released Friday calls for spending to increase 1.2 percent to a record 5.32 trillion yen ($50.48 billion) in the year starting April 1. Finance ministry officials will scrutinize the request before it is approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.

Already one of the world’s biggest military spenders despite a constitution that forbids the possession of weapons to attack other countries, Japan has increased military outlays by a tenth over the past seven years. That growth is being driven by alarm over military build ups by its neighbors.

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More News On Japan's Military Requesting A $50.3 Billion Defense Budget

Japan's Defense Ministry requests record ¥5.32 trillion budget -- Japan Times
Japan defense costs swell on greater role, purchases from US -- AP
Japan defence ministry seeks record budget -- AFP
Japan sets sights on record $50.3 billion defense budget -- UPI
Here’s what Japan’s Defense Ministry wants to do with $50.5 billion -- Defense News

Japan To Develop For The First Time Air-To-Ship Long-Range Cruise Missile

The Yomiuri Shimbun

SCMP/Kyodo: Japan to develop air-to-ship long-range cruise missiles to deter China’s navy, source says

* Military source said aim is to extend Tokyo’s shooting range to more than 400km as China improves its naval capabilities

Japan has decided to develop for the first time air-to-ship long-range cruise missiles to be carried by fighter jets and capable of attacking a warship from outside the range of an enemy’s weapons, government sources said on Sunday.

The plan is aimed at boosting Japan’s deterrence by extending the shooting range to more than 400km as China has been improving its naval capabilities, the sources said.

The forthcoming development will be based on Japan’s supersonic XASM-3 air-to-ship missiles, which are said to have a range of not more than 200km, they said.

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Update #1: Defense Ministry to develop long-range standoff missile (Japan News/The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Update #2: Japan Developing Missile to Strike Enemy Outside Air Defences' Reach – Report (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: Japan wants a better deterrence against China.

Japan To Purchase 150 F-35s

The Air Self-Defense Force’s F-35A fighter jet is shown at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture in February. Pool photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun

Business Insider: Japan is loading up on F-35s for an aircraft carrier meant to check China

* Japan plans to purchase 147 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, Keitaro Ohno, parliamentary vice minister of defense for Japan's ruling party, revealed Wednesday.
* 107 F-35As will replace an aging fleet of F-4 and F-15 fighters, and 40 B variants are expected to serve aboard refitted Izumo-class destroyers.
* The focus, according to Ohno, is responding to China in the Pacific.

Japan is apparently considering tripling its original F-35 order "to respond to China in the Pacific," a senior defense official in the Japanese parliament revealed Wednesday.

Japan plans to purchase as many as 147 F-35s to replace Japan's aging fleet of F-4 and F-15 fighters, as well as significantly enhance the combat capabilities of Japan's maritime forces, Keitaro Ohno, parliamentary vice minister of defense for Japan's ruling party, explained Wednesday, confirming rumors that have been circulating for weeks.

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WNU Editor: This is a major purchase.

More News On Japan's Decision To Purchase 150 F-35s

Japan’s potential buy of 100 more F-35s would have big international significance -- Defense News
Japan moves forward on F-35 buy, aircraft carrier transformation -- Military Times
Upgrade Would Arm Japan With First Aircraft Carriers Since World War II -- The New York Times
Japan plans to purchase nearly 150 F-35 fighter jets from the US -- VOX
Japan Triples Its F-35 Order: Stealth fighters to replace 99 F-15s -- War Is Boring
The Best Defense? Japan’s Controversial F-35 Carrier Upgrade Confirmed -- Sputnik
Japan Is Dumping the F-4 Phantom for the F-35 (And It’s a Big Deal) -- Michael Peck, National Interest

Japan Wants To Modify Its Ships To Carry F-35s

© REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon

CNN: Japan preparing to put US-designed stealth jets on an 'aircraft carrier'

CNN)Japan is preparing an order for roughly 100 US-designed F-35 stealth fighter jets in a deal that could potentially upend the balance of power in Asia, according to sources familiar with the process.

That order would include a version of the jet that can take-off and land vertically, a feature that could prompt Japan to transform some of its existing ships into aircraft carriers so that it can operate the fighters at sea -- a capability they have not had since World War II, a source close to the F-35 program told CNN.

"With short take-off vertical landing capability you are now able to operate at sea. You are able to penetrate areas and reach ranges in a shorter distance which is an important capability," the source said.

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Update #1: Japan prepares to stand up first F-35 operational unit (Defense News)
Update #2: Japan reviewing purchase of 100 more U.S. F-35 fighter jets (UPI)

WNU Editor: China issues a warning to Japan .... Beijing Warns Tokyo Against Modifying Ships to Carry F-35s (Sputnik)

For The First Time Since The End Of The Second World War, Japan Has Sent Armored Vehicles To Foreign Soil (Philippines)

US Marines and the Philippine marine corps land on the beach in assault amphibious vehicles during KAMANDAG 2 in Subic Bay, Philippines, October 3, 2018. US Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Christine Phelps

Business Insider: Amid rising tensions with China, Japan just sent armored vehicles to foreign soil for the first time since World War II

* Japanese troops are in the Philippines for an exercise with Filipino and US troops.
* They brought armored vehicles with them, marking the first time Japanese armor has landed on foreign soil since World War II.
* The US stressed that the exercise is not directed at anyone, but it comes amid heightened tensions with China.

A small contingent of Japanese troops and armored vehicles engaged in military exercises with the US and the Philippines in the Philippines on Saturday, assisting in a humanitarian role during an amphibious exericse simulating recapturing territory from a terrorist group.

A total of about 150 troops took part in the landing on Saturday. Fifty Japanese troops, unarmed and in camouflage, followed four of their armored vehicles ashore, moving over beach and brushland while picking up Filipino and US troops playing wounded.

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WNU Editor: A Japanese soldier was killed during these exercises .... Japan military officer killed during US-Philippine drill (Channel News Asia/AFP).

More News On Japan's Military Conducting Exercises With The U.S. And Philippine Military

Philippines drills: Japan sends armoured vehicles to foreign soil for first time since second world war -- SCMP/AFP
Japan's military joins historic Philippine war games -- Japan Times
Japan Joins War Exercises on Foreign Soil for First Time Since WWII - Reports -- Sputnik

Japan's Prime Minister Wants To Change The Constitution To Permit The Creation Of A Military

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews members of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) Oct. 26, 2014. Reuters Photo

VOA: Japanese Prime Minister Wishes to Change Constitution to Create Military Forces

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reconfirmed his support for changing the country’s constitution to permit the creation of a military force.

"Let’s fulfill our mission by clearly writing in the constitution the Self-Defense Forces that protect peace and independence of Japan," Abe said. He spoke in a televised speech to members of his Liberal Democratic Party.

Grant Newsham is a top researcher at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. He told VOA that the Japanese government already understood the constitution’s Article 9 as permitting the creation of a self-defense force. Now, he said, Abe wishes to officially change it. He wants the constitution to recognize Japan’s Self-Defense Force as a legal organization with the aim and position of protecting the country.

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WNU Editor: The idealism of Japanese and some American leaders post World War II is now gone.  Japan's Self-Defense Force is a real military, and this constitutional change (if it happens) will only make it official.

Citing Chinese And North Korean Threats Japan Is Raising Its Defense Budget Again

A Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) soldier takes part in a drill to mobilise their Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile unit in response to a recent missile launch by North Korea, at U.S. Air Force Yokota Air Base in Fussa on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato

CNN: Japan military budget grows for seventh year in face of North Korean threat

Japan looks set to beef up its military budget for the seventh year in a row under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the face of a rising threat from North Korea and an expanding China.

In a budget draft approved Friday, the Japanese government raised military spending by 2.1% to 5.2 trillion yen ($47.6 billion). It will still need to be approved by the Japanese parliament, the Diet, at a later date.

Among the big ticket purchases laid out in the budget are two Aegis Ashore land-based, anti-ballistic missile defense systems, worth $266 million, and six advanced F-35A fighters costing $89.6 million.

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More News On Japan Raising Its Defense Budget Again

Japan’s Defense Ministry eyes record defense budget amid North Korean and Chinese threats -- Japan Times/Reuters
Japan's military seeks record spending to reinforce N.Korea missile defenses -- CNBC
Japan eyes record $65 billion defence budget amid North Korea, China threats -- Straits Times/AFP
Japan would boost missile defenses in record military budget -- ABC News/AP
Japan defence ministry seeks record budget over North Korea threat -- The Guardian
Japan to Spend Billions on U.S. Missile-Defense System -- The Wall Street Journal

Japan's Defense Planners Are Focused On China Not North Korea

A Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) soldier takes part in a drill to mobilise their Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile unit in response to a recent missile launch by North Korea, at U.S. Air Force Yokota Air Base in Fussa on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

Reuters: China, not North Korea, to dominate Japan military planning

TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea’s growing missile arsenal might be the most obvious and immediate military threat facing Japan, but defence planners in Tokyo are focused on a much larger and more challenging foe as they prepare for the years ahead.

China has stepped up military spending and already dominates the South China Sea, through which Japan’s trade with major markets including Europe and the Middle East flows.

Now, Japanese military experts are worried Beijing may be on the brink of opening access to the Pacific through a Japanese island chain that has marked the limit of China’s military influence for decades.

Tokyo sees unfettered passage for Chinese warships and warplanes through the Okinawan island chain as a threat to vital sea lanes. For China that access is part and parcel of becoming a global superpower.

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WNU Editor: The sentence that caught my eye when I read the above report was this one ....

.... If Japan is able to hunker down long enough, he explained, the threat from China should recede as future internal strife, economic woes or other events prompt a retreat.

So Japan's defense planners are of the opinion that with time economic/social/and political woes will force China to retreat from its military expansion. Hmmmm .... I call that a lot of wishful thinking.

Japan Is Quietly Expanding Its Military Might

PACIFIC OCEAN (December 10, 2010) - U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships steam in formation as part of a photo exercise on the final day of Keen Sword 2011. The exercise enhances the Japan-U.S. alliance which remains a key strategic relationship in the Northeast Asia Pacific region. Keen Sword caps the 50th anniversary of the Japan-U.S. alliance as an "alliance of equals." (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob D. Moore)

Strategic Culture: With World Focused On North Korea, Japan Quietly Expands Its Military Might

Washington claims China is rapidly expanding its military might, posing a threat to the US and its allies in the Asia Pacific region. Beijing is one of the focal points of America's national security plan that was unveiled in January, singled out along with Russia. The US military brass hats have raised the alarm over China’s recent defense budget hike, despite the fact that its per capita defense spending is lower than that of other major world powers. They say China is not transparent enough and that this further complicates the problem.

Transparency is a good thing but it may not reveal the whole picture. One may appear to be open and above-board but still be hiding one’s real plans and intentions. For instance, Japan is ranked among the world’s ten most peaceful nations. Threatened by N. Korea and China, it appears to be an innocent victim looking to the US for protection.

That’s one side of the coin. But there is also another side.

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WNU Editor: A good summary on the growth of the Japanese military.

Hat tip Zero Hedge.

Japan Approves Record Defense Budget Amid North Korean And Chinese Fears

The Guardian: Japan boosts defence budget to record levels with eye on North Korea

Shinzo Abe’s plan includes missile systems to launch a pre-emptive strike, a move critics say violates the constitution

Japan’s government has approved a record defence budget, with money earmarked for costly missile defence systems and, controversially, weapons that could be used in pre-emptive strikes against North Korea.

The 5.19tn yen ($46bn) budget, up 1.3% from last year, is the largest ever and marks the six straight annual rise in defence spending under Japan’s conservative prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Abe, who ended a decade of defence cuts soon after becoming prime minister in late 2012, has described the threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles as a “national crisis”.

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More News On Japan Approving A Record Defense Budget For 2018

Japanese Cabinet OKs record ¥5.19 trillion defense budget to counter North Korea with interceptor batteries, first cruise missiles -- Japan Times
Japan Cabinet OKs record $46 bln defense budget -- ABC News/AP
Japan Approves Record Defense Spending That Favors U.S.-Made Equipment -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Japan approves record defence spending that favours U.S.-made equipment -- Reuters
Japan Approves Record Defense Budget as North Korea Looms -- Bloomberg
Japan Approves Record Defense Budget Amid Fears of North Korean Nuclear Threat -- Sputnik
Procurement Of First Long-range Cruise Missiles, 3900-tons Destroyers In Japan’s $46B Defense Budget -- Defense World
Japan's Cabinet approves record-high budget plan for FY 2018, defense spending swells -- Xinhuanet