Japanese Military Seeks Budget Increase

Japan’s Defense Ministry requested a budget increase on Friday to expand the country’s fleet and air force capabilities. It asked for a 3.5 percent increase to ¥5.05 trillion (us$48.7 billion). This would return the budget to its peak levels of the 1990s and reverse the last decade of declining military spending.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the increased spending would “ensure security of the sea and airspace surrounding Japan.” This would provide what he called “effective deterrence and response to an attack on remote islands and response to major disasters.” The Defense Ministry is also asking for better surveillance and early warning capabilities.

The request comes as tensions rise over a set of disputed islands with China. The Japanese call the islands Senkaku; the Chinese call them Diaoyu. Three weeks ago, Japan’s 2014 defense white paper publically criticized China for its attempts to, as it said, “change the status quo by coercion.”

The request falls in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to revamp the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Abe wants Japan capable of handling threats without relying on the unreliable United States.

Expect resettling in the region’s balance of power as it comes to terms with a weakened and distracted U.S.

For more information on this trend, read our Trumpet article “Is Japan’s Military Secret About to Come Out?”