The budget request submitted by the Japanese Ministry of Defense has reached a record high at 7.7 trillion yen, or approximately 52.67 billion US dollars, for the fiscal year 2024. This is Japan's latest step in increasing defense spending by 43 trillion yen over five years.

This year marks the second year of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's plan to double defense spending to 2 percent of the gross domestic product by 2027. This move is taken in response to the growing aggressiveness of China and the unpredictability of North Korea.

The budget request comes at a time when Japan's relationship with China has deteriorated following Japan's decision to discharge treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. China has condemned this disposal and banned seafood imports from Japan.

The fiscal 2024 budget request, submitted to the Ministry of Finance on Thursday (August 31, 2023), adds nearly one trillion yen from the previous year's budget of 6.8 trillion yen. If approved, this will be the second consecutive year that Japan has increased its defense budget by nearly one trillion yen, a step that has not been taken before.

The Ministry of Defense plans to allocate over 900 billion yen to purchase ammunition and weapons, including new ship-to-air missiles, as stated in the budget.

About 600 billion yen will be used to strengthen logistics capabilities for deploying weapons and resources to the southwest islands of Japan in case of emergencies.

In the budget request document, the Japanese Ministry of Defense mentioned that the funds will be used to purchase three new landing ships worth a total of 17 billion yen, 17 transport helicopters totaling over 300 billion yen, and a new special transport team to enhance troop deployment capabilities.

Furthermore, Japan has also allocated 75 billion yen for the development of interceptor missiles to counter hypersonic warheads in collaboration with the United States, and 64 billion yen for the production of next-generation fighter jets in cooperation with the United Kingdom and Italy.

This record increase in defense spending is being carried out by Japan, a loyal ally of the United States, after decades of adhering to a policy of pacifism. In 1947, the United States introduced a new constitution for Japan that renounced war.

However, concerns about China's maritime ambitions and military aggressiveness, particularly towards Taiwan, as well as the unpredictable nature of North Korea's military build-up, have shifted Japan's stance, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Japan's past aggression before and during World War II still remains a source of tension in its relations with some Asian countries. Japan has assured that its military power will not be used to threaten other nations.

Japan has stated that it will continue to prioritize diplomatic efforts and dialogue to avoid misunderstandings.

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