Ukraine war puts spotlight on defense budget hike in election

Sanae Takaichi, the LDP's policy chief, has said the biggest issues in the election this time is foreign policy and national security.

‘Think the lack of wage increases and rising prices might be a bigger issue outside of the corruption riddled LDP decision makers.

Hideki Uemura, a Ryutsu Keizai University professor, said setting such a target would potentially lead the government to constantly request the maximum amount and even buy unnecessary equipment to use up the budget.

Thats a guaranteed outcome. Anyone remember the anti missile debacle, cost million for an end result of well?nothing.

Japan has the friendship and protection of the most advanced nations on the planet. Time for the Government to do something for the people for a change, make life better then bearable.

More realistically perceive threats from China

That's nonsense because realistically China isn't threatening Japan !

Threats from North Korea - yes thats realistic !

Japan getting involved in the Ukraine crisis and sanctions against Russia has been detrimental to Japanese economy and further complicated territory disputes with Russia.

If Japan keeps irritating Russia and China the outcome will not benefit Japan.

More sanctions and more military spending will only rise prices for everything and make territorial disputes with neighbors worse.

If Japan does renounce its pacifist constitution then military service will become mandatory for Japanese citizens.

Japan has the friendship and protection of the most advanced nations on the planet. Time for the Government to do something for the people for a change, make life better then bearable.

exactly! Japan doesn't need more defense spending. That's why the US bases are there. NO ONE is going to attack Japan. But an economically destitute public is a far bigger threat to the nation as it will negatively impact the birthrate and weaken the economy further. You don't have to attack a country militarily to weaken it. Negative economic impacts can be just as dangerous.

Anyway, it doesn't matter. The facts that bear out show that

the LDP couldn't care less about the people in this country.

the people in this country are going to continue to vote like Lemmings for the LDP

Don't worry- Be happy

Well the Japanese people have already paid (and continue to do so) a large amount of money to keep US bases and their personnel in Japan, plus the LDP under Abe already stockpiled a whole lot of weapons... looks like you have to pony up EVEN MORE, Japanese people

Pledging to address these security challenges, the Kishida-led LDP plans an increase in defense spending over the next five years with an eye to a hike to a level in line with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations' target of 2 percent or more of their GDP.

Ideally if Japan is to continue to keep the current 1% (of GDP) limit for defense, as pacifist liberal critics insist, try to boost and double the entire GDP so that the portion of defense budget would become de facto two percent.

another evidence that LDP verkhushka is out of reality.

there are more hot and important problems to solve than some conflict on UA now guys.

look around you.

start with own nation,people,economy.

All the countries sending money to Ukraine and no real idea of how it is being used. And just prolongs the misery for Ukrainians. Putin wont go away until he achieves his objectives. Maybe better to try and understand what those are instead of continued conflict?

here go my taxes ...! kiss them bye bye

Look at his smug little face.

Solid defense strategy must be there for unforeseeable future. Stand on your own feet and stay strong Japan

before it gets too late.

You mean those incompent countries that are watching Ukraine being conquered from the sideline? Japan sits on the top of the technologies pyramid, and should only trust her imperial sailors and soldiers

@cricky

The Ukraine crisis is being used as an excuse for just about everything.

Japan should have never got involved .

The consequences are getting worse for Japan.

more sanctions and providing aid and military spending will ultimately raise prices for everything for the Japanese people and make life unnecessarily difficult !

Defense at 2% GDP is the minimum a modern industrialized nation needs. Japan is way behind and needs to catch up fast. The threats keep increasing and those behind the threat are building their military and increasing funding year by year.

Fund defense properly or make learning Chinese, Russian and North Korean all mandatory for all students. Without the best possible defense you will need to speak the language of the new masters of Japan. It will be carved up in an agreement like Poland was by Russia and Nazi Germany.

If the US ever closes its bases and leaves Japan, It will suffer the fate of WWII Poland within a few short years.

The world has awoken to the fact that the homicidal psychopath in the Kremlin will not be stopped except by weapons.

German are afraid they may have to confront Russian in Lithuania, over Kalingrad,this 300 thousands NATO is make believe,they do have to resources like the US,you Japanese better base your attitude toward your enemy,base on your willingness to fight, Japanese leader's open their big mouth, American could care less about the defense of Japanese, American are in survival motive,their survival,not Japanese

YrralToday  08:13 pm JST

Thank you for your comments. I find it quite entertaining trying to figure out what you're trying to say and when I do I usually don't agree with it. But thanks anyway.

That's nonsense because realistically China isn't threatening Japan !

So China's claims to the Senkaku Islands and their claim that the Ryukyu Islands are "Japanese occupied" represent no threat to Japan? Really? And their claims that the entirety of the South China Sea is sovereign Chinese territory and subsequent demands that all ships passing through the South China Sea obtain permission from China to pass through (not yet enforced and primarily because they know the US Navy will come down on them like a ton of bricks if they ever try to stop ships from passing through these international waters) represents no threat to Japan, considering how much of Japan's commerce passes through the South China Sea? And China's threats to take Taiwan by force also represents no threat to Japan, considering China's territorial claims to the Senkaku and Ryukyu Islands? How much easier for China to take them if they were to succeed in taking Taiwan. You need to open your eyes and understand the threat China represents to Japan.

his 300 thousands NATO is make believe,they do have to resources like the US,

Italy has an army of 260,000 on active duty. The French Army has 205,000 on active duty. The British Army has an active duty strength of 80,000. The Spanish Army has an active duty strength of just under 76,000. The German Army is just under 63,000. The major European armies exceed 680,000 active duty soldiers. That is just the size of their armies and ignores the manpower in their respective navies and air forces. The US has another 100,000 soldiers in Europe. The Turkish Army has another 260,000 if you want to consider their, cough cough, "contribution" to NATO, though a lot of their army is currently tied down fighting in Syria, northern Iraq and Libya.

An essay from 1930s by Maj Gen Smedley D Butler, who fought in all wars since the Spanish-American war to mid 1939s. It will explain why things are the way they have been.

https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html

As long as there is a homicidal maniac running things in Moscow, the world is going to have to spend more on defense budgets.

Glenn,seeing how Russian weapon work in Ukraine,I think the US should cut it budget by half,to 400 billions dollars a year