Japan seeks to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP

MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan’s prime minister has asked his Cabinet to secure enough funds to raise defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product in five years, continuing a recent trend of increasing the defense budget, according to the country’s defense minister.

Fumio Kishida told Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada during a meeting that Japan needs to urgently increase its defense budget by fiscal 2027, Hamada said.

Kishida also said his administration needs to review government expenditures and revenue streams, as well as decide how it can secure extra funding to increase the defense budget, Hamada added.

Japan typically spends no more than 1% of its GDP on defense; the increase to 2% would bring it in line with the aspirations of NATO members, of which Japan is not a signatory.

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 considers North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and China’s military activity in the region as threats to the homeland. To that end, the government plans to revise its national security strategy by the end of this year. That document provides Japan with long-term diplomacy and security policy guidelines.

The defense spending announcement follows several other military-related changes, such as allowing the export of military equipment and the acquisition of longer-ranged weapons.

Japanese media has reported the country is seeking up to 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the U.S. This comes after word the Asian nation is getting standoff, air-launched missiles for its F-35 fighter jets and is increasing the range of its indigenous land-based anti-ship missile.

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing also recently announced Japan awarded it a contract for two further KC-46A tankers, bringing its fleet to six. Two aircraft were already delivered , the first in October 2021 and another in February 2022.

Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.

澳大利亚墨尔本——据日本防卫大臣称，日本首相已要求内阁确保有足够的资金，在五年内将国防开支提高到国内生产总值的2%，延续了近年来增加国防预算的趋势。

滨田康和表示，岸田文雄在与财务大臣铃木俊一和防卫大臣滨田康和会面时指出，日本需要在2027财年之前紧急增加国防预算。

岸田还表示，他的政府需要审查政府支出和收入来源，并决定如何获得额外资金来增加国防预算，滨田补充道。

日本通常将国内生产总值的 1% 用于国防；提高到 2% 将使其符合北约成员国的愿望，而日本并非北约成员国。

拟议的增幅将在未来五年内达到约2870亿美元。相比之下，日本截至2023年3月的财政年度的国防预算为396.6亿美元。

日本将朝鲜的核野心和中国在该地区的军事活动视为对本土的威胁。为此，日本政府计划在今年年底前修订其国家安全战略。该文件为日本提供了长期的外交和安全政策指导方针。

在宣布国防开支之前，政府还出台了其他几项与军事相关的改革措施，例如允许出口军事装备和采购射程更远的武器。

日本媒体报道称，日本正寻求从美国购买多达 500 枚战斧巡航导弹。此前有消息称，这个亚洲国家正在为其 F-35 战斗机采购防区外空射导弹，并正在提高其国产陆基反舰导弹的射程。

美国飞机制造商波音公司近日还宣布，日本已授予其两架KC-46A加油机的合同，使其在日本的KC-46A加油机机队规模达到六架。其中两架已交付，第一架于2021年10月交付，另一架于2022年2月交付。

Mike Yeo 是《防务新闻》的亚洲通讯员。