Japan's Defense Ministry requests record ¥5.32 trillion budget

Well that's another nail in the coffin for paying off debt, balancing the retirement fund opening Childcare centres, improving aged care, education. Guess my grandkids can worry about that if they aren't sacrificed to bolster Mr Abes dream.

Now, when they increased consumption tax to 8% years back they said it would use the money responsibly and put it towards social security. They did not. Now we see Abe has made SEVERAL promises to buy US weaponry and is asking for a huge defense budget just after saying we have to raise taxes to pay for social security. So, clearly, again they are not going to use the money responsibly at all. I guarantee it's not even a year before they start talking about raising it to 15% "for social security", as well as how we all have to work until 70 before retiring.

Military spending is important, but the spending on pork barrel is ridiculous. I do some hard walking every day to stay in shape. I see more govt. street construction workers standing around watching the others work and it is a sad state.

Also, with all this wasted spending, there would be no issue to support a stronger military defense if this pork barrel stuff were curtailed.

It would also allow for those that get divorced to not lose 50% of their kyosai pension, unlike the states that no matter what, you keep your 100%.

Strong military spending ok, but please look at all the waste that is going on.

I feel so much safer.

I really envy the Japanese retiring with all the state-of-the-art weapon systems. :)

Abe wants to become the new Tojo

I think it's Xi who wants to be the new Tojo.

And judging by what his people are doing to Fulongong members, Tibetan monks & nuns and Urgur Muslims, Xi also wants to become the next Hitler.

This is an outrage.

I can sleep well at night knowing Japan is not allowing China out do it in military spending.

Karma !!! Start off in a bad way and it's hell all the way to the end. Just can't help to think how lucky the Northern Europeans/ Scandinavians are !! In close proximity but totally at ease with one another.

As its people become poorer and poorer and its political elite become more and more disenfranchised,,,,this is what happens.

The elite starts eating and drinking at the tough while the plebs have to feed upon the dregs.

Abe,Aso,et al,don't give a hoot about their people just like their forefathers.

Print more money, borrow more and waste it on this stuff.

One of the easiest, surest, and quickest ways to balloon a national debt is on police spending.

For a lot of large nations, military spending is simply a pissing contest. No one wants a real war with the way military technology has changed.

As I said before, you dont get something for nothing when it comes to Japan. Abe must buy all that corn and beef, but he gets his sweetheart deal; blessings to go forward with a real military.

This is nothing but a huge sop to the US military/industrial/surveillance/weapons complex that the taxpayers can ill afford.

no no, they are going to build their own stuff, already started it. They buy those planes, defense systems etc for now. They are going to expand big time with their own stuff.

Even though I hate hearing some myopic oyaji talking about Japans past glories, all the while leaving out who is his real master, at least for now, Japan does need to be prepared for China. They both need a healthy respect for each other. I remember when all this started, and the arms race that was predicted has now appeared on the scene. It started with Ishihara and the Senkakus, before that there was an uneasy truce, and China was more well behaved. Deng seemed more tame than this new guy. Now China is on the war path, but at least Trumps tariffs are biting them.

Great photo,BTW.

I meant of the ship and helicopter not of Trump and his pet....Moritomo.

Debt will be the last of your worries when territory is being picked off.

Thelongtermer

Now China is on the war path, but at least Trumps tariffs are biting them.

Any data to show Donny's tariffs are hurting them.

You mean defense will be last of your worries when you retire and realize that you don’t have enough money to live because of all the money that was wasted on US military spending, Olympics, foreign donations and appeasing Trump.

Japan is in serious trouble because politicians are ignoring the head winds (debt, population, pension, etc) and yet it’s still holding US＄1.4 trillion in US govt debt.

A papier mache until the peace constitution is changed.

Ahhhh more appeasement money for trumpo and the military industrial complex. And as expected, the 'does no wrong' crowd stays clear of articles such as these. The arrows all failed to hit their mark and in any real democracy, abe and his ilk would be out on the street or preferably jail.

PROTECTION MONEY!

@Spitfire

Great photo,BTW.

Like I wrote a day or two ago, another day, another photo of two politicians shaking hands.

Albeit cropped.

What's wrong with Donny's face? He looks like he's being caught up to some mischief.

I only hope the stealth fighters can run on corn. Clearly the SDF has a lot of steak dinners to look forward to, at least the cyber attack division who are being beefed up.

@Wallace Fred

in any real democracy

Note the CPC "Bad Abe" meme.  

What a "real democracy" like the USA that elected a pussy grabbing, $1bn bankruptee, reality TV star to the position of supreme commander and POTUS; or a real democracy like China, that only has one party?

Everytime I see the "Bad Abe" meme, I just switch off. I don't share the LDP's politics but I'm insulted that the bozos think we're dumb enough to believe one person runs the government, like we're living under Mao or something.

Well now we know where that extra 2% consumption tax is going.

Sorry the SDF shouldn't get any more of those expensive planes until they can learn to fly them properly. And why do they need such planes unless they wish to launch an attack upon some Country... Just at a time when relations were at a low between Japan and elsewhere...

Why not, instead of buying expensive planes, put the money into local R&D into a better version of the Israeli Dome Defense shield - something that'll defend against North Korean Missiles, or from anywhere else - that'd be more beneficial to the Japanese Tax payer, and create local jobs. Also, if it turns out to be really good, we can sell it to other Countries ... such as Israel, and recoup some of the costs funded by us Tax payers.

The same people talking about GSOMIA and how Japan will get hit by missiles from North Korea.

In this article they say who would attack Japan?? No risk from China or North Korea.

You don't need to spend on defense Japan. Just because China is spending 250 billion a year, Russia is spending, North Korea is spending, South Korea is spending like war is coming tomorrow... But you Japan living next to all this countries, don't spend anything. Be naked, don't have a military, just wait until you get attacked.

In a perfect world, Japan would not have to spend even 1 yen on Defense. But this is not a perfect world. The region Japan is in is incredibly dangerous, so this increased Defense spending, especially on Aircraft carriers and stealth fighters is crucial.

Hope for Peace, but always expect and be Ready for War. If this beefing up of Defense strikes some fear into the hearts of Asian neighbors, the Abe Cabinet has made a real wise move!

The region Japan is in is incredibly dangerous

Pure comedy gold this one.

"The region Japan is in is incredibly dangerous"

"Pure comedy gold this one."

Not as funny as the dumb as nail comment. I guess you don't know that Japan does not have 1, not 2, but 3 nuclear weapons states on its boarders. If having three nuclear weapons is not " Incredibly dangerous" , please tell me what would be incredibly dangerous?

A good start, but Japan needs to do much more. Japan should get intermediate range missiles, 12 full deck carriers, bombers but most important of all, get rid of article 9.

Let's look at the figures of all the other major countries in terms of their military spending and that as a share of their GDP (%) [2017}; -

United States: Spending $610 billion, 3.1% of GDP

China: $228 billion, 1.9% of GDP

Saudi Arabia: $69.4 billion, 10.3% of GDP

Russia: $66.3 billion, 4.3% of GDP

India: $63.9 billion, 2.5% of GDP

France: $57.8 billion, 2.3% of GDP

Britain: $47.2 billion, 1.8% of GDP

Japan $45.4 billion, 0.9% of GDP

Germany: $44.3 billion, 1.2% of GDP

South Korea: $39.2 billion, 2.6% of GDP

So, what does this tell you?

(Source 1: https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2018/global-military-spending-remains-high-17-trillion)

(Source 2: https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00207/japan-remains-eighth-in-global-military-spending.html)

alwaysspeakingwisdom Today 10:52 pm JST

but most important of all, get rid of article 9.

Not necessarily. Although the current Article 9 is too obsolete. The whole article should not be discarded.

Just modify paragraph 2. And create 2 or more paragraphs to limit the range of action of JSDFs, such as the operational and armament capabilities of those combat forces. As long as the Japanese forces respect the UN international war treaties. Respect the law first and foremost.

Paragraph 1 should be kept as it is.

Japan's Defense Ministry requests record ¥5.32 trillion budget? For the purpose to show a little stronger than China, and much stronger than S. Korea or N. Korea? That's ridiculous to compare Japan Coast Guard doing the right duty to defend Japan and checking maritime criminal actions of strange boats inside Japanese economical area zones...That's hundred time harder than doing a parade of those warship fleet to demonstrate the overwhelming power to others, not only around Japan but the seas far away from Japan? That's my view of that budget to be requested...

alwaysspeakingwisdom Today 10:52 pm JST

A good start, but Japan needs to do much more. Japan should get intermediate range missiles, 12 full deck carriers, bombers.

No. That approach would be counterproductive. And it would lead to greater instability throughout the region.

Japan must never take the lead in armaments. Never.

but most important of all, get rid of article 9.

Not necessarily. Although the current Article 9 is too obsolete. The whole article should not be discarded.

i think we can all agree that article 9 is outdated and there,s need for some changes. it,d be in favor of Japan,s interests.

@Mister X

don,t minimize other people,s comments like that, that,s rude. not pretty. if i,m not mistaken, he suggested that the region is not safe. well... it isn,t. - militarily speaking, Japan needs to sleep with one eye open. so what,s your point. don,t make yourself look bad.

@ rcch

Well I guessed you missed the part where the other poster called my comment dumb as nails but don't worry I won't hold it aginst you.

And by the way the region is perfectly safe just fear mongering from the usual suspects for obvious reasons such as the very recent multi-billion weapons trade between the the American government's defense contractor and Japan.

It's all about feeding that enormous industrial-military complex nothing more nothing less.

If I am not mistaken South Korea recently also bought a lot of American fighter jets and they too raised their defense budget just about the same time as the "tensions" arised.

But hey if you really want to believe that China, Russia, South or North Korea can jump on Japan or each other anytime now and unleash WWIII despite their being absolutely no indication whatsoever to even hint at something like that happening please be my guest...

What about buying from someone else than the US ? Ohh wait ....

@Mister X

i mean, he probably said that because previously you said it was "pure comedy gold". you might disagree with him but that,s rude and kinda disrespectful tbh.

i know sure it,s not realistic, them neighbors most probably won,t jump on Japan with their nuclear weapons, but Japan needs to step up. it,s part of the game.

previously you said it was "pure comedy gold".

How is that even remotely insulting and besides the poster who insulted me was not the poster I responded to.

it,s not realistic, them neighbors most probably won,t jump on Japan

No they won't, pure fear mongering that's all it is.

Using such huge amount to buy weapons you may never use while social security suffers and the debt jeep ballooning. What a corrupted government.

And by the way the region is perfectly safe just fear mongering from the usual suspects for obvious reasons such as the very recent multi-billion weapons trade between the the American government's defense contractor and Japan.

^ This ^ These countries are spending because the others are spending. The US is very happy you fear your neighbors.

China is building its navy because it doesn’t want the US to cut off its shipping lanes in the south. Japan has to spend because China is getting stronger even though it has a lot of domestic needs. North Korea needs to spend because it once fought against the US and SK and the war isn’t over and the troops are still there. The US with 800 military bases all over the world has to spend to maintain its interests even though many of its people have no health insurance and can’t afford healthcare.

I love all the people that think the world is all rainbows and sunshine. Like war will never happen again. That is nice to believe, and I really hope it's true, but history has shown otherwise.

Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

That is less than 1/10th of the US mlitary budget for 2019.

@Josh Hawthorn

China: $228 billion, 1.9% of GDP

China’s current military development is only taking 1.9% of their GDP yet, that’s rather scary. They could do much more if they think is necessary.

Maybe that number from China is manipulated, but still 1.9% is a scary number.

Let's look at the figures of all the other major countries in terms of their military spending and that as a share of their GDP (%) [2017}; -

Let's sort that list a little differently in terms of GDP and see where Japan fits:

Saudi Arabia: $69.4 billion, 10.3% of GDP

Russia: $66.3 billion, 4.3% of GDP

United States: Spending $610 billion, 3.1% of GDP

South Korea: $39.2 billion, 2.6% of GDP

India: $63.9 billion, 2.5% of GDP

France: $57.8 billion, 2.3% of GDP

China: $228 billion, 1.9% of GDP

Britain: $47.2 billion, 1.8% of GDP

Germany: $44.3 billion, 1.2% of GDP

Japan $45.4 billion, 0.9% of GDP So, what does this tell you?

NORTH KOREA. 22% of GDP !!

Despite blackouts and starving population, North Korea spends 22% of GDP on military spending. Compare with South Korea's 2.6%, U.S. 3.1% and Japan 0.9%

Now, what does THIS tell you?

(Source: https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/north-korea-spends-whopping-22-per-cent-of-gdp-on-military-despite-blackouts-and-starving-population/news-story/c09c12d43700f28d389997ee733286d2)

Let's look at the figures of all the other major countries in terms of their military spending and that as a share of their GDP (%) [2017}; -

China: $228 billion, 1.9% of GDP

*Japan** $45.4 billion, 0.9% of GDP So, what does this tell you?*

It tells us that Japan is spending less than half what China is spending as a percentage of their GDP.