TOKYO: The Japanese government is considering a significant increase in defence spending over the next five years, with plans to raise the total defence budget for fiscal 2027 through 2031 to 60 trillion yen (about US$376 billion) when it revises the three key security documents, Kyodo News reported Friday (Nov 13), citing sources.
According to the report, spending focus will include large-scale procurement of drones, ammunition and missiles.
Japan's current three security documents, formulated at the end of 2022, call for increasing the country's total defence spending over the five years from fiscal 2023 to 2027 to about 43 trillion yen. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to revise the three documents by the end of this year.
Japan's defence budget has hit record highs for consecutive years, raising concerns across the country. Japanese citizens have held repeated rallies this year to protest the government's military buildup and oppose continued increases in defence spending as well as the resulting heavier burden on the public.
The Tokyo Shimbun has noted that Japan's ever-growing defence spending will crowd out budgets for people's livelihoods. - Xinhua
