Japan Ground Self Defense Force soldier (left) assigned to, 32nd Infantry Regiment, and U.S. Army (right) assigned to the 7th Infantry Division, salute the Japanese and U.S. flags during the opening ceremony to Rising Thunder 2021 on Yakima Training Center, Dec. 1, 2021According to reports by the Japanese media, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida requested that the ministers of finance and defense raise defense spending by more than 50% over the next five years to a level of around 43 trillion Yen ($316 billion USD) or about 8.6 trillion Yen ($63.3 billion USD) per year, Jakub Wozniak reports in Overt Defense. The current five-year plan, which ends in April 2023, saw about 25.5 trillion Yen ($188 billion USD) spent on defense over the five-year period leading up to April 2023; the 2022 annual budget stands at 5.4 trillion Yen ($39.6 billion USD).
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Japan Ground Self Defense Force soldier (left) assigned to, 32nd Infantry Regiment, and U.S. Army (right) assigned to, 7th Infantry Division, salute the Japanese and U.S. flags during the opening ceremony to Rising Thunder 2021 on Yakima Training Center, Dec. 1, 2021 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Spc. Dean Johnson)
If enacted, Jakub Wozniak comments, this increase would put Japanese defense spending just under the NATO 2% GDP spending standard. The new 43 trillion Yen figure comes as a compromise between the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Finance. Defense sought to obtain 48 trillion Yen ($353 billion USD) while the Ministry of Finance pushed for a much more modest increase to around 35 trillion Yen ($256 billion USD). Prime Minister Kishida made headlines early this year by announcing Japan has the right to carry out a preemptive strike on enemy bases as a last resort and, just earlier this month, information emerged regarding plans to significantly strengthen Japanese ground forces in the Ryukyu and Nansei islands.
Tensions with North Korea have reignited debate over the status of the JSDF and its relationship to Japanese society. Since 2010, the JSDF has refocused from countering Russia to the People's Republic of China, also since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2024, the JSDF also considers the Russian Federation a major threat; increasing military cooperation with Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and acquiring new equipment and hardware.
On May 5, 2022, Japan and the United Kingdom signed a defensive partnership that deepens military ties to counter "autocratic, coercive powers" in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there's been growing military coordination between China and Russia. This has resulted in an uptick of military activity around Japan. On August 4, 2022, the Japanese government lodged formal protests to Beijing when 5 missiles landed near Hateruma in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone On October 22, 2022, Japan and Australia signed a new bilateral security agreement that includes military, intelligence and cybersecurity cooperation. It is an upgrade to the 2007 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation. This is the first time that Japan made such a pact with another country other than the United States.
