Japan plans record defence spending in 2022 with 10th straight annual increase
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks before the media at his official residence in Tokyo
Thu, December 23, 2021
By Kiyoshi Takenaka
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government on Friday approved record defence spending, with a 10th straight annual increase in 2022, against a backdrop of China's rapid military expansion and North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.
The budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 will rise 1.1% to 5.4 trillion yen ($47.18 billion), still less than a quarter of China's military budget this year according to official Beijing data.
The higher spending plan follows a meeting in April between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan's then-premier Yoshihide Suga, in which Suga pledged to strengthen his country's defence capability in light of a more challenging regional security environment.
Tensions over Chinese-claimed Taiwan have risen as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert his country's sovereignty claims on the island. Taiwan's government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if needed.
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister before Suga who remains an influential figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said this month that any emergency over Taiwan would mean an emergency for Japan, as well as for its security alliance with the United States.
Big-ticket items in the draft budget include 128 billion yen for 12 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighters, four of which will be short take-off and vertical landing variants operating off converted helicopter carriers.
The defence ministry is also setting aside 86 billion yen in next year's budget to develop its first new domestic jet fighter in three decades. The project, expected to be completed in the 2030s, is being led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The ministry is also earmarking 34 billion yen to strengthen defences against cyber attacks, and 79 billion yen for space-related projects, such as satellites and lasers to track targets beyond the atmosphere.
The draft budget still needs to pass parliament, where Kishida's ruling bloc holds a majority, for enactment.
($1 = 114.4600 yen)
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks before the media at his official residence in Tokyo
Thu, December 23, 2021
By Kiyoshi Takenaka
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government on Friday approved record defence spending, with a 10th straight annual increase in 2022, against a backdrop of China's rapid military expansion and North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.
The budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 will rise 1.1% to 5.4 trillion yen ($47.18 billion), still less than a quarter of China's military budget this year according to official Beijing data.
The higher spending plan follows a meeting in April between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan's then-premier Yoshihide Suga, in which Suga pledged to strengthen his country's defence capability in light of a more challenging regional security environment.
Tensions over Chinese-claimed Taiwan have risen as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert his country's sovereignty claims on the island. Taiwan's government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if needed.
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister before Suga who remains an influential figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said this month that any emergency over Taiwan would mean an emergency for Japan, as well as for its security alliance with the United States.
Big-ticket items in the draft budget include 128 billion yen for 12 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighters, four of which will be short take-off and vertical landing variants operating off converted helicopter carriers.
The defence ministry is also setting aside 86 billion yen in next year's budget to develop its first new domestic jet fighter in three decades. The project, expected to be completed in the 2030s, is being led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The ministry is also earmarking 34 billion yen to strengthen defences against cyber attacks, and 79 billion yen for space-related projects, such as satellites and lasers to track targets beyond the atmosphere.
The draft budget still needs to pass parliament, where Kishida's ruling bloc holds a majority, for enactment.
($1 = 114.4600 yen)
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Japan Cabinet OKs record defense budget amid Taiwan concerns
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, rides on a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Type 10 tank during a review at the JGSDF Camp Asaka in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Kishida’s Cabinet approved record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) budget Friday, Dec. 24, for fiscal 2022 that includes researches and development into future fighter jets and other “game-changer” arsenals as Japan bolsters its arms capability amid China's rise and its tension with Taiwan.
(Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP, File)
MARI YAMAGUCHI
Fri, December 24, 2021
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.
The 1.1% budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japan’s pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.
The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38% from the current year.
Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japan’s aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japan's first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.
Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the U.K.
As China’s military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japan's Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other “game-changing” technologies.
The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japan's joint operations with the United States in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a pre-emptive strike capability in response to China’s military buildup and North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear capabilities.
The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.
China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.
Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on islands in Japan’s Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japan’s military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.
Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.
The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the Japan-U.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese President Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.
Japan’s defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.
MARI YAMAGUCHI
Fri, December 24, 2021
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.
The 1.1% budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japan’s pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.
The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38% from the current year.
Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japan’s aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japan's first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.
Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the U.K.
As China’s military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japan's Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other “game-changing” technologies.
The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japan's joint operations with the United States in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a pre-emptive strike capability in response to China’s military buildup and North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear capabilities.
The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.
China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.
Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on islands in Japan’s Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japan’s military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.
Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.
The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the Japan-U.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese President Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.
Japan’s defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.
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