Japan's Defense Ministry, seeking arms buildup, makes opaque budget request

Takahide Kiuchi, a Nomura Research Institute executive economist, said doubling defense spending would require 2% consumption tax hike and a significant cut of social welfare benefits.

‘Nothing like defending an impoverished population.

Plenty of announcements from "the government". I'm looking forward to the debates in the Diet and by the public at large. This is a proposed monumental change in policy. Functioning democracies debate such matters.

Functioning democracies debate such matters.

Democracy here is more a front when in reality, it’s still rulers who rule.

Yes debate should occur, but unfortunately in Japan there are many examples where this didn't happen, i.e.

https://news.yahoo.com/abe-push-japan-security-bills-lower-house-despite-020124270.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40283730

Where is the money coming from, but importantly where is the man power coming from? Nursing homes?

Japan's Defense Ministry, seeking arms buildup, makes opaque budget request

Is there anything NOT opaque here. The Olympic costs, the state funeral for Abe, the list goes on and on..

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. Then, how would the government coordinate this sublime aim with its plan to build up arms and increase the budget thereof?

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution goes like this:

(1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

(2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be sustained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

The “land, sea, and air forces” referred to in the constitution can be equated with Ground Self-Defense Force, Maritime SDF and Air SDF.

Democracy here is more a front

Democracy comes in many forms. Russians voted to make Putin their nation'sruler until 2036, because the majority are said to have approved that, is Russia a democracy? Hitler was elected president of Germany, did that make the Third Reich a democracy? Trump has told his followers he'll be a dictator, if he's elected, will the US still be considered at least by his supporters to be a democracy, or will it be an autocracy?

These F35 have been declared inoperable do too an defective ejection seat Google F 35 Ejection Seat

"Defense" spending is an easy front to making their allies and indirectly themselves rich. Scare the people with a bogeyman, and spend away, oldest trick in the book.

The “land, sea, and air forces” referred to in the constitution can be equated with Ground Self-Defense Force, Maritime SDF and Air SDF.

The JSDF is a division of the national police. It's a police force.

Even if they get the money and buy the weapons, they have no experience in handling them and fighting in a real war. My guess is, Japan would purchase new weapons from America and the Americans would have to train the Japanese how to use them effectively. Only a guess.

The protection racket at work. All this does is bolster the US economy, Why do we have to play into their hands?

Because the LDP was made by the US-

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/world/cia-spent-millions-to-support-japanese-right-in-50-s-and-60-s.html

On whose request does Japan need to increase its military spending? Their US masters and occupiers.

I just loooove all the complainers here. "Japan tried defending itself, how can it, bah bah babah!". Does your motherland pay you well to be trolling on this site? Why on Earth would you complain about a country trying to improve its defense (and even preemptive strike) capabilities in today's world sittuation? I for one this this is well spent money, as I'm not looking forward to being forced to learn russian or Chinese in the next decade.

Japan's Defense Ministry, seeking arms buildup, makes opaque budget request

In a land where precedent is everything, this is a STEP TOO FAR.

Americans would have to train the Japanese how to use them effectively. 

Yeah right, the way the Americans used them in Afghanistan?

Good job LDP! Lets take the fight to the Chinese homeland.

almost cashless and savingless young japanese families who are having hard time to pay bills,pay for kids education,food,etc because of living costs are getting higher literally for everything and GOV doing NOTHING to help them are "happy" to hear that their taxes are going to be "well spent"/irony off/

@voiceofokinawa This is a good philosophical question. To aim at 2% military spending just like NATO countries who have not renounced war as a political instrument is a contradiction given the current Japanese constitution.

For reference below is spending GDP percentage for UN Security Committee members plus India and Japan. Source is worldpopulationreview.com

Russia 4.3%

USA 3.7%

India 2.9%

UK 2.2%

France 2.1%

China 1.7%

Japan 1%

Good job LDP! Lets take the fight to the Chinese homeland."

Gear up and lead the way...?

exactly! show us how U will defend Japan.

Government sure can't give out more Covid assistance... no money to be found. Has to raise taxes all the time... no money to be found. And yet, it has absolutely no trouble finding the money to double the defense budget every year, give billions to Africa and other nations, give additional funding for construction projects despite trillions remaining unspent.

All this and yet Japan is supposedly a pacifist nation.

Americans would have to train the Japanese how to use them effectively. 

Yeah right, the way the Americans used them in Afghanistan?

actually, if you remember the US UK and OZ soldiers were protecting the SDF and thanks to them not one SDF soldier was killed. That's a fact

almost cashless and savingless young japanese families who are having hard time to pay bills,pay for kids education,food,etc because of living costs are getting higher literally for everything and GOV doing NOTHING to help them are "happy" to hear that their taxes are going to be "well spent"/irony off/

That can be said not only for Japan but for everywhere. more or less, and yet they spend for defense more than Japan

It went so well last time. What could go wrong?

Gear up and lead the way...?

Now is the time for Japan to start making their own stuff. Can you imagine what they would name the rockets? The exchange rate is not in their favor. It's the only realistic choice.

When the constitution gets amended here in the near future it will become mandatory for all young women and men to serve in the military.

that's what I'm worried about

Denying the outcome of war ,that affects Tokyo,is not gonna make you more safer

Awa,the enemy always go after the weakest link in a chain

All this and yet Japan is supposedly a pacifist nation.

It is, but those in power explicitly have a problem with that part of the constitution. What's more, the next election is far away and they know they can get away with any unpopular measure now, as they rely on the short memories of the public.

My wife and I just visited Northern Hokkaido and the areas adjacent to the illegally occupied islands by Russia and we didn't see one military or navy vehicle. That's the area of Japan I would be bolstering defense if I was in charge.

"...opaque budget request"

Opaque is not the best descriptor to use for "budget request."

How about "vague budget request" or "obscure budget request?"

A better and maybe cheaper defense solution ( or an additional one?) would be something like an obligation to store a gun and ammunition , of course secured and locked in peaceful times, for every citizen or in every household or stored at the nearest town office, community center etc., of course accompanied with the related instruction, shooting, first aid and civil defense training lessons. As Japan is an island country, it surely would require a potential enemy to set boots on the ground. And in the knowledge that there’s a deadly defense reaction out of every window, house, village or city, this is probably enough for them to put invasion or occupation plans aside quickly.

I'm married. I've found that the opaquer the budget request is, the more likely it will be approved.

Strangerland,

JSDF indeed started as a police force called "Japan Police Reserve Corp" at the urge of the GHQ's Douglas MacArthur, which turned into "National Safety Corps" and finally into "Self Defense Force", a full-fledged military force, I think.

MacArthur directed Japan to create a police reserve corps to counter labor riots that occurred frequently and rampantly at the time which MacArthur feared might topple U.S.-friendly conservative governments so that U.S forces could engage in war on the Korean Peninsula without anxiety back in occupied Japan.

JSDF is not an antiriot police any longer today as you say. An antiriot police reserve exists elsewhere independent of SDF.

This is great news, especially for the rogue state of the USA and it's arms based economy.

Print more yen so it continues to weaken (other stupid BoJ policies assisting in that). Then buy tons of foreign military equipment at inflated prices. Which will likely never be used and end up being scrapped in 10 years time.

Farce.

Which will likely never be used and end up being scrapped in 10 years time.

Hopefully none of the equipment they buy will be used for anything but training.

But yeah, 99.99% of military investments are not "used" (if there is no war). Clear case of not thinking before writing... What's your point?

Any of the six naysayers to my post above (Today  12:48 pm JST),

Please clarify why you think I am wrong.

VoiceofOkinawa you are absolutely correct, and the others would concur if they bothered to check.

They may have been bothered by you bringing up the fact that there was a lot of local resistance to the US presence in Japan.

This is the start of a process to harden the Japanese defense forces and provide modest stockpiles of munitions and systems to allow Japan to better defend itself and sustain that defense in the face of a protracted conflict that seems more imminent in today's hostile environment. It will also provide funds needed to invest in sovereign capacity to manufacture equipment, missiles and other munitions in Japan and will include research.

This will provide high tech jobs in high tech industries for Japanese workers. And could also provide foreign sales once research and manufacturing of new modern initiatives comes online. This is a great opportunity for Japan to invest in itself and its future while providing a greater ability to defend itself without needing to go through the US for use of that nations systems.

Good move Japan.

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. 

China doesn't care about the restrictions of your Article 9. In fact they are more than happy to see Japan cling to that article and make themselves as vulnerable as possible. Nothing in Chinese law prevents them from waging a war of revenge against their bitter enemy the Japanese. Nothing in their laws will prevent them from taking the Ryukyus. So go ahead and be Bambi to China's Godzilla. See how far being peaceful in the face of Chinese aggression gets you.

They may have been bothered by you bringing up the fact that there was a lot of local resistance to the US presence in Japan.

So US forces leave and Japan gets curb stomped by China. Is that the plan, or do you think China respects weakness? As the Philippines how much they liked the Chinese taking their islands. That's what happens when you are weak.

China doesn't care about the restrictions of your Article 9. In fact they are more than happy to see Japan cling to that article and make themselves as vulnerable as possible. Nothing in Chinese law prevents them from waging a war of revenge against their bitter enemy the Japanese. Nothing in their laws will prevent them from taking the Ryukyus.

And nothing prevents the JSDF from fighting to protect Japan against the Chinese, including Okinawa. They have the right of self-defense - that's why the JSDF exists.

My wife and I just visited Northern Hokkaido and the areas adjacent to the illegally occupied islands by Russia and we didn't see one military or navy vehicle. That's the area of Japan I would be bolstering defense if I was in charge.

The greater threat is to the Ryukyus and Japan's maritime links through the South China Sea. The current Russian fleet has very limited amphibious capability, unlike the Soviet Navy had. Japanese forces on Hokkaido are more numerous and better equipped than any force the Russians could possibly land on Hokkaido, assuming any of their amphibious ships made it past the JMSDF and JASDF (and assuming no US involvement, which is unlikely). JMSDF is not a trivial fighting force and is vastly better equipped and has a larger surface combat force than the Russian Navy is. The Russian Navy going against the JMSDF would be a repeat of 1905. Most of Russia's fleet dates to the 1970s and 1980s. The technology is vastly inferior to that of the JMSDF. Nothing in the Russian Navy is even remotely comparable to the Maya, Atago or Kongo class DDGs.

But China has been building up modern amphibious warfare ships, aircraft carriers and big guided missile destroyers. The PLAN is better in almost every way than the Russian or old Soviet navies ever were. And the Chinese have active territorial claims to Japanese territory while claiming illegally that the South China Sea is sovereign Chinese territory. And the PLAN very much has DDGs comparable to the best Japanese, South Korean and US Navy DDGs in the form of the Type 052D and Type 055.

And nothing prevents the JSDF from fighting to protect Japan against the Chinese, including Okinawa. They have the right of self-defense - that's why the JSDF exists.

Indeed but a few here still think Japan has no right to have any kind of military and that US forces should leave. I do not for the life of me understand such a naive world view. Playing Bambi just gets you stomped and the Chinese government are not nice people.

You don't need a lot of cash to stop an enemy. You need a relatively small number of well trained insurgents.

Target their leader and government week 1. If they still don't stop, destroy utility infrastructure, fuel storage, dams, bridges and tunnels, airports and ports. Start fires around cities. If that doesn't stop them, give them an ultimatum: Cease or your nuclear reactors will be targeted.

Do that, and you can spend your budget on your own people rather than US military toys for theatrical purposes (most won't be used and only idiots fight 1940s-style for turf).

These F35 have been declared inoperable do too an defective ejection seat Google F 35 Ejection Seat

It was a run of bad CADS, Cartridge Activated Devices from the ejection seat manufacturer, Martin Baker of the UK. CADS are a lot like shotgun shells used to initiate different things on the ejection seat. Ejections are violent and noisy events. I was ejection seat qualified once upon a time. All F35s have been inspected, the bad CADS replaced and the aircraft returned to service. I've been around military aviation for 40 years. This happens with all tactical jets. It was only news because it involved the F-35.

You don't need a lot of cash to stop an enemy. You need a relatively small number of well trained insurgents.

Insurgents are not going to stop an enemy armed with ballistic missiles and air power turning your cities to rubble. Insurgents are not going to stop their navy and its amphibious forces from putting a big fully equipped army on your shore and supplying it across the sea. If you want to stop modern military like China has you need the full range of capabilities.

And obtw, the majority of the equipment used by the JSDF is made in Japan by Japanese companies and are often systems designed in Japan for Japans unique military needs.

Desert Tortoise (Sep. 2  12:20 am JST).

China doesn't care about the restrictions of your Article 9. In fact they are more than happy to see Japan cling to that article and make themselves as vulnerable as possible.

Probably, you're right. But, to the same extent, the U.S. seems more than happy to see Japan scrap Article 9 and wage an international war along with it.

Article 9 is a jewel every country should emulate to realize a genuine world peace. It could be a precious world cultural heritage. Why doesn't Japan endeavor to propagate it abroad rather than scrap it?

Japan's Defense Ministry made a budget request for the coming year Wednesday without specifying the costs of missiles for preemptive strikes and dozens of other weapons as well as its development plans, as the government aims to drastically raise Japan's military capability.

An absolute necessity. Article 9 allows for pre-emptive self defense measures

voiceofokinawaToday  07:27 am JST

Article 9 is a jewel every country should emulate to realize a genuine world peace. It could be a precious world cultural heritage. Why doesn't Japan endeavor to propagate it abroad rather than scrap it?

No need to propagate it--it was conceived by the US anyway, and realistically, it would and could not be implemented by most countries.

painkiller,

Of course, it would be a hard, long way to persuade other countries to emulate Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, just as it is difficult to persuade all countries to sign the NPT. But try we must. World peace is everyone's dream.