Japan maintains military spending at record highs despite growing threats from China and North Korea

Japan’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday submitted a budget request of $ 50,000 million, at a time when the country faces regional threats of North Korea and the growing ambitions of China.

The Japanese military budget has grown steadily over the past decade, and the latest ministry request indicates that “The security environment for our country is increasingly severe.”

The ministry has requested 5.48 trillion yen ($ 50 billion) for the fiscal year beginning in April 2022, compared to 5.3 trillion yen for the current period.

However, the figure is slightly lower than the amount initially requested by the ministry last year, a record 5.49 trillion yen.

The budget includes the construction of five military ships and one submarine, as well as the purchase of 12 F-35 fighters.

The ministry also said it was seeking to strengthen the country’s defense in the areas of space and cybersecurity.

The Tokyo Army is primarily concerned with growing threats from Beijing and Pyongyangsaid Hideshi Takesada, defense expert and professor at Takushoku University.

“The military might of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is growing faster than we think (…) while the threats of missiles and North Korea’s nuclear development never slowed“Takesada told AFP.

The Chinese military spending has grown in tandem with its economic expansion and has increased for 26 consecutive years to reach $ 252 billion in 2020, according to the researchers.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency says that North Korea seems to have restarted its reprocessing reactor which produces plutonium in a “deeply disturbing” development, a possible sign that Pyongyang is expanding its banned weapons program.

The increase in the Japanese military budget also results from the US pressure to play a more relevant role in regional security, increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing, Takesada noted.

“As long as the current conservative government is in power in Japan, the defense budget will remain high,” he added.

In an annual advocacy document released last month, Japan said tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan are an increasingly urgent problem. which threatens regional stability.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has increased diplomatic, military and economic pressure on the autonomous island in recent years.

The United States reacted strongly to Beijing’s lobbying campaign, placing its ally Japan in a difficult position between two world powers that are key trading partners.

However, Japan Speaks More About China’s Maritime Expansion and Military Strengthening, publicly protesting the presence of Chinese ships around the disputed islets known as the Senkaku around Tokyo and Diaoyu by Beijing.

This month, the ruling parties of Taiwan and Japan security talks held for the first time, in a move that was condemned by Beijing.

(With information from AFP)

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