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TOKYO: The government of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved a ninth consecutive increase in military spending on Monday (December 21), funding the development of an advanced stealth fighter and a longer-range anti-ship missile to counter China’s growing military might. .
The Defense Ministry will fetch a record 5.34 trillion yen ($ 51.7 billion) for the year beginning in April, up 1.1 percent from this year. With the vast majority of Suga in parliament, enactment of the budget is almost certain.
Suga continues the controversial military expansion pursued by his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, to give Japan’s forces new planes, missiles and aircraft carriers with increased range and power against potential enemies, including neighboring China.
China plans to increase its military spending by 6.6 percent this year, the smallest increase in three decades.
Japan is purchasing longer-range missiles and is considering arming and training its armed forces to strike distant ground targets in China, North Korea and other parts of Asia.
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A planned fighter jet, the first in three decades, is expected to cost about $ 40 billion and be ready in the 2030s. That project, which will be led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with the help of Lockheed Martin, receives $ 706 million in the new budget.
Japan will spend $ 323 million to begin development of a long-range anti-ship missile to defend its island chain southwest of Okinawa.
Other large purchases include $ 628 million for six Lockheed F-35 stealth fighters, including two short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) B variants that will operate from a converted helicopter carrier.
The military will also get $ 912 million to build two compact warships that can operate with fewer sailors than conventional destroyers, easing pressure on a navy struggling to find recruits in an aging population.
Japan also wants two new warships carrying powerful new Aegis air and ballistic missile defense radars that have up to three times the range of previous models. The government has not yet estimated the cost of the plan, which replaces a project canceled in June to build two Aegis Ashore ground stations.
