Ruling LDP proposes doubling of defense budget

Will that will solve weak yen and cost material issue? Using more debt and tax payer money?

https://japantoday.com/category/business/focus-high-raw-material-costs-plus-weak-yen-threaten-recovery-from-covid

Can they get enough personal to train and operate what I would hope would be modern systems?

No can do. Japanese government can default on its debt any day now.

With the falling yen, Bank of Japan will be forced to raise the interest rate which will instantly double Japanese government's debt service cost from $300 billion a year to $600 billion a year.

Only the countries with strong healthy economy can afford to spend big on defense, like China, Korea, and even Taiwan.

Countries with busted economy like Russia and Japan can't.

Completely irrelevant, because it’s only a question of what you buy for defense, not how big the amount or percentage of GDP is. In a short example, five nuclear missiles have a much bigger effect than a yearly budget of 5% GDP. Save all that money and only buy a few of the convincing defense stuff.

Do they have the money to increase defense budget? How about doing something about stagnant wages first?

In the recommendations submitted to the government, the LDP also called for the relaxation of restrictions on arms exports.

Completely reveals that the LDP is interested in anything but peace.

Larr FlintToday  09:26 am JST

Instead of increasing the defense budget they should revise the constitution and bring back REGULAR ARMY.

Japan has regular armed forces. They're just not called the army, navy or air force.

Russia is being more and more aggressive, expelling diplomats, testing missiles, etc.

Anyone who thinks Russia might attack Japan, what with the whole Ukraine catastrophe going on, has clearly been reading too much manga for loudspeaker truck idiots.

Who is going to defend borders?

The aforementioned armed forces. It's literally their job, that's why they're called self-defence forces. Why, did you think there was no one doing it?

I wouldn't say having a defense policy for 80 Years was a longtime.

If an armed foreign military or coastguard vessel or aircraft enters Japanese territory unannounced without permission the Japanese defense force need to be a FORCE !

It's time for Japan to be independently strong.

Doubling the defense budget of a country that ostensibly doesn't have a military definitely seems a bit much. I feel like there are so many good initiatives that money could be going to instead. Also, who exactly is the threat to Japan?

On the other hand, if it results in a reduced reliance on American military and a higher possibility of getting them out of the country, that would be great news. Could possibly be worth it, certainly the people of Okinawa would think so.

On the other hand, if it results in a reduced reliance on American military and a higher possibility of getting them out of the country, that would be great news.

The push to arm Japan has been coming from the US since the Cold War era in order to strengthen Japan as a proxy pro-US force to increase American hegemony in the region. As Japan buys more arms from the states ($ for the elites), the SDF will increase military exercises with the US military...so in any case the short answer is zero chance that the American military will ever leave Japan.

@moonbloom

I know you are 99% correct, but there is a naively optimistic part of me that hopes it could give them an incentive to oust the American military if they aren't reliant on them. They'd be reliant on them as a supplier still regardless though9, and will still ultimately dictate all the terms.

You are right that it is probably wishful thinking at best.

Unfortunately it is wishful...when Japanese citizens rose up in the 1950's and 1960's, the US used their connections in the LDP to destroy any such hopes and utilized legislation to blacklist protesters, yakuza, police and SDF to violently suppress, and the CIA to infiltrate.

And after Abe passed security laws which allows anyone threatening national security (i.e. the current US-Japan arrangement) to be jailed, it's pretty much 'wishful thinking at best.'

Japan is so small only about 35 miles wide ,everyone in Japan would be sitting from ships,using Artillery strikes just off the coast,

Yrral you must be looking at a different map of a different island nation.

Which of the hundreds of islands in the Japanese archipelago are you referring to ?

This is great news. 10% sales tax is too low. Double it! 20%. Everybody knows that everybody in Japan is so rich that people stuff ¥400000000000000 under their tatami. True, American weapons are very expensive, but with increased tax, cutting down on spending for health, education and pensions, combined with printing money and borrowing…we can change Article 9 and get them Reds. Both the Ruskies and Chinese. Take back Korea in the process. And Join NATO too.

2% of GDP is a standard expenditure on Defense for many modern nations, so this is not excessive. Neither is it unexpected with China continuing to spend more on its military expansion.

One thing that this military conflict in Ukraine has shown is you better have large stockpiles of munitions hidden around your country and you better have serious redundancy in systems like anti air radar and missile systems that are targeted first in any attack and constantly there after in attempts to gain control of airspace. A domestic industry that is non centralized for providing munitions and parts is also essential. This all requires planing and setting up which comes out of defense expenditure. It also provides employment in high tech industries for Japan.

In short this would be a sensible move at this point. Letting yourself be caught unprepared can be avoided by forward thinking. Peace is always the best way forward, but losing freedom from an invasion like Russia is carrying out in Ukraine and encouraging captured area's to break away and end up joining Russia is to be avoided at all costs.

Let us hope they adopt this proposal.

Ruling LDP proposes doubling of defense budget

In that case, I have to beg the question, is there really any need for the USA to defend Japan anymore?

Alan HarrisonToday  05:10 pm JST

Ruling LDP proposes doubling of defense budget

In that case, I have to beg the question, is there really any need for the USA to defend Japan anymore?

Nuclear Umbrella. Duh.

Japan and Germany are massively increasing their military budgets.

@Alan Harrison

is there really any need for the USA to defend Japan anymore?

Absolutely. Once Americans are gone, China and Korea would seek blood vengeance against Japan.

is there really any need for the USA to defend Japan anymore?

Absolutely. Once Americans are gone, China and Korea would seek blood vengeance against Japan.

Maybe not. I think China and Korea are more mature.

Someone is making a very very bad decision. All Japan Asian neighbors will recall ww2.

Nuclear Umbrella. Duh.

What does Duh stand for?

TARA TAN KITAOKAToday  02:15 am JST

Someone is making a very very bad decision. All Japan Asian neighbors will recall ww2.

LDP politicians remember what their grandfather's told them about it when they were being groomed to take over the family rackets.