Amid changing geopolitical landscape, Japan plans to boost defence budget

In an effort to address growing threats from China, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told his cabinet to increase defence spending to two per cent of GDP by 2027. The figure has stood around one per cent or less since forever, but Japan is now trying to overhaul its defence and security strategies due to the changing geopolitical landscape. 

"We'll take budgetary measures to increase spending on defence and other outlays to two percent of current GDP by 2027," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters after talks with Kishida.

The defence ministry had submitted a $40 billion budget request in August. But a final figure will have to wait till the government completes updates to several defence policies. 

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The scenarios around Japan are getting dangerous, with China conducting military exercises, North Korea's missile tests and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. All this have contributed to gathering support in favour of the increased spending.

Japan has a pacifist post-war constitution which limits its military capacity to mostly defensive measures.

As per local reports, the additional spending will be mainly aimed at "counterstrike" capacity, that is weapons that can target enemy missile launch sites and described by Tokyo as defensive.

Kishida also told the parliament that counterstrike capacity was one of several options being weighed.

"This is being studied within the bounds of the constitution and international law," he said. 

People of the country also seem to be in favour of increasing defence spending. In a poll published by the Kyodo news agency, over 60 per cent of respondents want the country to obtain "counterstrike capability".

However, the problem arises in the area of funds. Higher taxes is not an option as even Kishida's LDP is not in favour of increasing taxes. 

The country's economy is seeing a downturn owing to an ageing and shrinking population, besides the post-pandemic recovery and fallout from the war in Ukraine.

Hamada said Monday that Kishida has asked the government to find a way to boost spending, the issue of costs notwithstanding.

"(We will) secure the necessary budget by coming up quickly with various approaches, instead of just saying we can't because there aren't sufficient financial resources," he quoted the prime minister as saying.

A third of respondents in the Kyodo poll said that the government should cut expenses in other areas to raise funds for increased defence spending. Just over 22 per cent backed increased corporate taxes, and 13 per cent favour the issuing of government bonds.

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