Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers questions from reporters about US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential election at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on July 22, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo by STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images)
SYDNEY — Japan today announced plans for its biggest defense budget in history, with a planned $57 billion investment in military capabilities.
The reason for the increase isn’t hard to find: “The international community is facing the greatest post-war trial yet, and has entered a new era of crisis,” is the opening sentence of the document outlining the budget request. [PDF] Japan’s Diet must approve the budget, but it’s likely to pass.
The budgetary ascent of Japan began under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 12 years ago, and has rapidly accelerated in the face of China’s aggressive actions regarding Taiwan and the East and South China Seas. The budget marks the second year that Japan has made significant budget increases — this one is 7.4 percent larger than last year’s — as part of a broad effort to strengthen and reorient its military to boasting greater offensive capabilities.
In a major new strategy released in Dec. 2022, Japan committed to doubling its defense spending, deploying an aircraft carrier for the first time since World War II, buying hundreds of long-range cruise missiles and fielding other weapons fundamentally transform it from a strictly defensive military to one that can effectively deter and defeat threats.
In line with that goal, the new budget proposes funding seven main areas of effort:
- “Stand-off defense capabilities,” especially precision long-range weapons. The request is for $5.1 billion. Almost half of that, $2.2 billion, is for a small satellite constellation to provide tracking and targeting for this burgeoning counterstrike capability.
- “Comprehensive air and missile defense capabilities” to counter North Korean, Russian and Chinese missiles and other threats. The request is for $1.7 billion.
- “Unmanned asset defense capabilities,” requested at $850 million.
- “Cross-domain operational capabilities” in space, cyber and EW. While the budget documents don’t provide an easy total for this section, the biggest item under electronic warfare are $344 million for an RC-2 signals intelligence aircraft plus $100 million for its avionics and related items. The budget also includes $97 million for development of an EW aircraft.
- “Command and control and intelligence-related functions,” requested at $4.4 billion.
- “Maneuvering and deployment capability” to help turn Japan into a power projection military. The request is for $3.9 billion.
- “Sustainability and resiliency.” The request includes $6.4 billion for ammunition, including 155mm shells, as well as roughly
In addition to those broad categories, the defense force plans to request $871 million to buy eight more Lockheed Martin F-35As and $423 million for three more F-35Bs.
Tokyo also plans to keep working on its advanced fighter program being developed with the UK and Italy, requesting $787 million to do engineering and design work on the Global Combat Air Program.
However, there are economic headwinds Japan must consider when laying out its defense plans. Japan’s weak currency and relatively high prices mean that “the MOD will carefully examine the cost, and further promote efficient procurement through bulk purchase and long-term contracts,” per the budget documents.
Japan has struggled with a shrinking defense industrial base and is trying to boost the ranks of second and third tier suppliers. Attracting sufficient soldiers, sailors and airmen to man the Japanese Self Defense Force has also proven difficult and much of the increased spending planned over the next decade will go to attract and retain personnel.
An important focus of the bolstered military will be All Domain capabilities. “As the security environment surrounding Japan grows increasingly severe and uncertain at an alarming rate, Japan will build up a defense capability that organically fuses capabilities in all domains including space, cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum and is capable of sustained conduct of flexible and strategic activities during all phases from peacetime to armed contingencies,” the budget notes.
In an effort to be more efficient and allow its navy to function better as a power projection and combat force, the budget includes the most extensive reorganization of the surface fleet, to be executed by March 2026.
As part of that reorganization, the current Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Fleet Escort and Mine Warfare forces will become known as the Fleet Surface Force. The goal is to create centralized command and supervision of all surface vessel units, a navy spokesman said,
