Concerned citizens in Japan are warning that the country's sustained push to ramp up defense spending not only sends the wrong signals to the international community, but also risks squeezing resources for other government spending priorities such as public welfare.
Japan's Defense Ministry plans to request a record-high budget of about 8.9 trillion yen (around 56 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal 2027.
The actual defense budget could rise further when finalized at the end of this year, as the request includes numerous items for which specific amounts have yet to be determined, according to Japanese news reports.
"Japan has long adhered to the principle of 'exclusively defense-oriented' policy and kept its defense outlays at roughly one percent of GDP. Now there is no longer that one-percent cap. Defense spending is being raised to about two percent of GDP, approaching 10 trillion yen. I believe it won't be long before Japan's annual defense budget expands to 10 trillion yen. This will send the wrong signal to neighboring countries, especially China. At the same time, as the defense budget grows, funding for areas such as public investment, education, welfare and healthcare is in fact being cut. I think this will instead weaken Japan's development," said Kaname Iseki, co-representative of the Osaka-jo Komainu Association, a citizens' group.
According to the full contents of the fiscal 2027 defense budget request, Japan's Ministry of Defense also plans to develop submarine-launched hypersonic missiles and advance research on fitting unmanned submarines with long-range missile firing capabilities.
Iseki said these moves clearly deviate from the "exclusively defense-oriented" principle Japan has long claimed to uphold, calling such trends extremely dangerous.
"On the building of long-range missiles and the so-called sustained combat capability, I think it is highly unreasonable. As far as long-range missiles are concerned, I think such attempts deviate from the 'exclusively defense-oriented' principle that Japan has consistently pursued as a national policy under its peace constitution. Whether it is long-range missiles, sustained combat capability, or the introduction of artificial intelligence and other technologies, I have very strong concerns. These are all extremely dangerous developments," he said.
"Japan has not fully summed up and reflected on its militarist war of aggression, particularly its war of aggression against China. The militarist ideology of the former 'Empire of Japan' has been preserved and is now resurfacing. This is the current reality. Therefore, I believe Japan's peace forces must work even harder to stop this trend," said Iseki, whose organization advocates for a more honest reckoning in Japan of Imperial Japan's wartime history.
Japan's record defense budget draft raises concerns over regional security, government spending
