Responding to Chinese aggression, Japan pledges to increase its defence budget from 1 pc of GDP to 2 pc
The move is widely seen as a departure from Japan"s post-war constitution, which renounces war or the use of force in settling international disputes.
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Tokyo, Dec 28: In order to counter China's assertiveness, Japan has raised its military spending to record levels. Japan's new National Security Strategy pledged to increase its defence budget from 1 per cent of GDP to 2 per cent.
The Kishida government approved a record USD 862 billion budget for the 2023 fiscal year, with a large portion earmarked for defence spending amid rising regional security challenges from China. The budget includes USD 277.6 billion for social security and USD 51 billion for the military, a 26.3 per cent increase from USD 40.6 billion in the current defence budget. The govt recently approved three key defence policy initiatives, including the National Security Strategy, which refers to China as Japan's "greatest challenge."
The move is widely seen as a departure from Japan's post-war constitution, which renounces war or the use of force in settling international disputes. But Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Japan would maintain its exclusively defence-oriented policy, which states that defensive force could only be used in the event of an attack. The increase in military spending brings Japan into the third position globally regarding military spending, behind the United States and China.
Japan seeks to have the ability to counterattack as it deals with regional security challenges from China, North Korea, and Russia. Japan is concerned about its own vulnerability as China expands its military presence near Taiwan and the East China Sea. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime had not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. Other nations, including the Philippines, have also raised concerns over the CCP's military activities.
Rashtriya Sewa Bharati
Mes, Pune
