Japan will achieve its goal of allocating 2 percent of GDP to defense spending ahead of schedule after the government approved a supplementary budget for fiscal year 2025 at a cabinet meeting on Friday, according to media reports.
Local media reported on Saturday that Japan's Ministry of Defense gets 847.2 billion yen (about 5.42 billion U.S. dollars) in the supplementary budget, with 122.2 billion yen earmarked for acquiring destroyers, submarines, and other vessels, and 56.6 billion yen designated for missile procurement.
Combined with related expenditures from other ministries and agencies for public works and research related to security, the total defense-related funding in the supplementary budget exceeds one trillion yen. Together with the initial budget of 9.9252 trillion yen, the overall defense-related funding for fiscal year 2025 will reach approximately 11 trillion yen.
At a press conference on Friday, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said explicitly that the country's defense spending will reach 2 percent of its GDP.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced in an October speech that the "2 percent of GDP" target for defense spending, originally set for fiscal year 2027, would be met within the current fiscal year.
The supplementary budget compiled by Japan's Ministry of Defense remained around 200 billion yen in the early 2010s. It exceeded 400 billion yen after fiscal year 2018, and ballooned to over 800 billion yen after fiscal year 2023.
Japan approves extra budget, raising defense spending beyond 2 pct of GDP
Palestine appreciates China's constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Palestinian issue, Ambassador of Palestine to China Jawad Mohammed Qutish Awad said in Beijing on Friday.
When jointly meeting the press with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing on Thursday, President Xi Jinping announced China will provide 100 million U.S. dollars of assistance to Palestine to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support its recovery and reconstruction.
"Following two years of devastating war, over 90 percent of Gaza Strip's housing, infrastructure, hospitals, roads, and universities have been destroyed. China has consistently supported Palestine in various fields such as politics, economy, and development. This generous donation comes as timely aid for the Palestinian government and people," said the ambassador in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
More than 70,000 Palestinian people have been killed since the conflict in Gaza erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with millions suffering from extreme poverty and catastrophic hunger.
China has reiterated its support for the Palestinian liberation cause on multiple international occasions, firmly believing that the two-state solution remains the only realistic path to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
Through channels including the United Nations, Egypt, and Jordan, China has provided multiple batches of emergency humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip and extended material and financial support to the Palestinian Authority and other relevant parties. China has also emphasized that it is important to uphold the principle of "the Palestinians governing Palestine" in the post-conflict governance of Gaza.
"We attach great importance to China's support for the two-state solution. Without the establishment of the State of Palestine, regional stability cannot be achieved. Gaza must be an inalienable part of the future Palestinian state. I would also like to reiterate here that the State of Palestine firmly supports the one-China principle," Jawad said.
China, one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine, established the strategic partnership with Palestine in 2023.
After countries including the United Kingdom, France, and Canada recognized the State of Palestine in September this year, the number of countries in the international community recognizing the State of Palestine has reached nearly 160, accounting for over 81 percent of the United Nations member states.
An increasing number of countries are looking to advance a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza through cooperation.
Jawad said that the China-proposed Global Governance Initiative offers the international community a more effective path to resolving the Palestinian issue.
"This initiative aligns with the strategic agreements between Palestine and China, contributing to ending Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and establishing the State of Palestine across all Palestinian territory. Without a just resolution to the Palestinian issue, neither the world nor the Middle East can achieve stability. The key to a just resolution lies in the implementation of international law," he said.
Palestine appreciates China's role in promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace process: ambassador
