Japan's Cabinet okays record defence budget that aims to deter China

Japan's Cabinet okays record defence budget that aims to deter China Tokyo, Dec 26 (AP) Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a record defence budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen (USD 58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defence with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region. The draft budget for fiscal 2026 beginning April is up 9.4 per cent from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan’s ongoing five-year programme to double annual arms spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product. Recommended Stories The increase comes as Japan faces elevated tension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule. Takaichi’s government, under US pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2 per cent target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise the ongoing security and defence policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military. Missiles and drones will add to southwestern island defence Japan has been bolstering its offensive capability with long-range missiles to attack enemy targets from a distance, a major break from its post-World War II principle limiting the use of force to own self-defence. The current security strategy, adopted in 2022, names China as the country’s biggest strategic challenge and calls for a more offensive role for Japan’s Self-Defence Force under its security alliance with the US. The new budget plan allocates more than 970 billion yen (USD 6.2 billion) to bolster Japan’s “standoff" missile capability. It includes a 177 billion-yen (USD 1.13 billion) purchase of domestically developed and upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles). The first batch of the Type-12 missiles will be deployed in Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture by March, a year earlier than planned, as Japan accelerates its missile buildup in the region. In part due to Japan’s aging and declining population and its struggles with an understaffed military, the government believes unmanned weapons are essential. To defend the coasts, Japan will spend 100 billion yen (USD 640 million) to deploy “massive" unmanned air, sea-surface and underwater drones for surveillance and defence under a system called “SHIELD" planned for March 2028, defence ministry officials said. For speedier deployment, Japan initially plans to rely mainly on imports, possibly from Turkiye or Israel. Tension with China grows The budget announcement comes as Japan’s row with China escalates following Takaichi’s remark in November that Japanese military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. The disagreement escalated this month when Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan prompted Tokyo to protest when Chinese aircraft locked their radar on Japanese aircraft, which is considered possible preparation for firing missiles. The Defence Ministry, already been alarmed by China’s rapid expansion...

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