Japan to Significantly Increases Defense Budget to Defend CCP’s Threat

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has proposed that Japan should not be constrained by historical burdens, which have been limited by years of defense spending for not exceeding 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It made it clear that in the next five years, the proportion of defense spending to GDP will be increased to 2%.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Western countries have successively adjusted their defense-related policies. For instance, Germany has ballooned its defense budget to $113 billion. The Japanese LDP’s policy program also believes that the Russian-Ukrainian war shows that no country can survive alone in today’s global geopolitical environment. Therefore, Japan should shift from an early focus on the concept of homeland defense to a collective self-defense approach.

To this end, the LDP has called for a substantial increase in Japan’s defense budget to respond to emergencies and strengthen the projection of military power. Meanwhile, develop pre-emptive counterattack capabilities against enemy military bases or command and control systems. Among them, special emphasis is also placed on drones, artificial intelligence, cyber intelligence, space, and missile defense systems against the threat of hypersonic weapons.