Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s state visit to the United States – highlighted by his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on April 10 – crystallizes the fundamental tenets of the Japanese post-war security architecture, while also affirming the new reorientations of the U.S. strategy for the Indo-Pacific. This comes at a time of significant … Read more
There is a growing debate today in Japan over whether the nation’s planned 43 trillion yen ($285 billion) limit for defense spending over the five years through fiscal year 2027 should be reviewed, amid a weaker yen and recent price surges. The person who sparked this debate is Sakakibara Sadayuki, former chairman of the Japan … Read more
Japan is striving to expedite its drastic defense buildup to deal with rising military threats posed by China, North Korea, and Russia. On December 22, the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio approved 7.95 trillion yen ($55.9 billion) in defense spending for fiscal year 2024, starting in April, amid what Tokyo calls “the most … Read more
Advertisement On August 31, the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo asked for 7.74 trillion yen ($53 billion) for fiscal year 2024, its largest ever budget request, as Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II. The request, a whopping 13.4 percent increase from the initial budget in … Read more
Advertisement On December 16, 2022, the government of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan released a trio of documents outlining an ambitious plan for investing in its defense and security capabilities. The announcement was followed in February by the National Diet’s approval of the Fiscal Year 2023 defense budget, which raised Japan’s defense spending by … Read more
Advertisement In December 2022, Japan announced a new National Security Strategy, including a significant increase of the defense budget and the acquisition of offensive weaponry. While the decision has been praised among the hawks of U.S. and transatlantic foreign policymaking, it is stirring up old ghosts of Japanese militarism in East Asia. At the same … Read more