The government of neo-prime minister Fumio Kishida announced a few days ago that it also intends to increase the defense budget in a supplementary budget – together with an economic stimulus package. Japanese media such as Kyodo News report that Japan is reacting to the increasing Chinese militarization in the Asia-Pacific region in concert with its Western allies – the USA, Great Britain and Australia.
Japan plans to allocate at least an additional 770 billion yen (around six billion euros) for defense spending. This amount – the largest ever for defense in a supplementary budget – would dwarf the 430 billion yen (around 3.3 billion euros) already earmarked in a supplementary budget for the 2019 fiscal year. According to a calculation by the Nikkei business daily, the amount in terms of annual defense spending has increased by around 50 percent compared to the previous peak from fiscal year 2018 (which was also allocated in supplementary budgets). Tokyo’s defense budget for this financial year is therefore more than 52 billion euros.
The new funds will include spending on missiles and patrol aircraft as well as strengthening defense capabilities near the southwestern islands. According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, in addition to well over 100 of the new F-35 fighter jet, money will now also be made available for the domestic F3 stealth fighter – the Shin Shin test vehicle already exists – and missiles that can travel more than 1,000 kilometers, among other things. Cyber, space, electronic and electromagnetic warfare capabilities and signal intelligence are also to be expanded. Historical budget restriction to be abandoned
Decades ago, Japan committed to limiting its military budget to a maximum of one percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). This was intended to prevent a possible revival of Japanese imperial militarism from the Second World War era. However, as concerns have recently grown in Tokyo about China’s military and Beijing’s claims to power in the disputed waters of the South and East China Seas, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has adopted the goal of spending two percent of GDP or more on the military in the future ahead of the elections on October 31.
Still weighty behind it: Shinzo Abe
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the ruling party, said on November 19 that Japan aims to intensify relations with ally the US and other friendly nations while strengthening its own defense position as it faces increasing Chinese military expansion. Japan needs to work with so-called AUCUS security partners the US, UK and Australia specifically on artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities, he said: “A key to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific is to ensure the medium to long-term engagement of like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region. From this perspective, I welcome the establishment of AUCUS. It is extremely important to make multi-layered efforts to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. I believe that Japan should participate in AUCUS cooperation in areas such as cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies,” Abe said in a speech at an online forum organized by an Australian think tank. Regarding Japan’s relations with Australia, Abe said in this forum that the two countries need to further deepen their special strategic partnership: “In the face of the increasingly tightening regional security environment, it is necessary to take bilateral security and defense cooperation between Japan and Australia to a new level.”
AUKUS
As reported, the AUKUS pact (which opens up the technology for Australia to deploy nuclear-powered submarines) announced in September – especially surprisingly for France and the Europeans – is widely seen as a reaction to Chinese militarization in the region, particularly in the strategically important South China Sea. Beijing is known to have artificially created islands, enlarged and militarized atolls there and therefore claims the waters – up to over 1,000 kilometers from Hainan – as under its jurisdiction. The recent orbiting of the globe by a Chinese hypersonic re-entry vehicle – Beijing says it was a “spaceship” – has also caused additional alarm (Military News reported). British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had predicted in September that although the AUCUS partnership will begin with nuclear-powered submarines, alliance members expect to accelerate the development of other advanced defense systems, including cyber, AI and quantum computing. The “Quads”
Japan also forms the so-called Quad grouping with India and the two AUCUS members Australia and the US. Their heads of state only held their first face-to-face summit in September (seereport), at which they demonstrated a united front in the face of shared concerns about China’s activities and threats, especially with regard to Taiwan, which is described as “renegade”. Postscript: Incidentally, RT currently reported (see also video below) that the “still strong man” Shinzo Abe warns China not to commit “economic suicide” with military action against Taiwan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foKKpuX4FSo&t=11s
