Japan seeks extra defense budget amid China, N Korea concerns

As the sales revenues for other industrial work declined in the 1980, Japan's major heavy industry manufactures (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Corporation, etc.) saw an opportunity to expand global arms industry sales. The problem was how to shift public opinion, so LDP politicians in the pocket of the war profiteers could change key laws banning the export of weapons. This wasn't easy, but the Hawkish LDP general, Abe, saw a great opportunity in the election after the earthquake and Fukushima disaster, to shift public anger and dissatisfaction of the government and target the foreign other as the source of country's ills, using nationalist rhetoric and fearmongering about China and North Korea. It was a highly cynical but effective strategy. Once elected, he moved quickly to increase defense spending and eliminate the arms export ban.

Now every year during budgeting season, the same rhetoric spins through the media, stoking more fear, less opposition and higher profits with the transfer of public money to private corporations. Kishida will carry on with this massive redistribution scheme, while trying to rebrand the usual neoliberal scam as a New Capitalism.

Don't we have to ask, if China is such a threat and a weaker and contained China is the goal, then why doesn't Japan unbind its deep economic ties rather than increase corporate welfare spending for the war industries. Oh, right, Japanese companies continue to enjoy the benefits of Chinese labour and land exploitation and we all like filling our living spaces and garbage dumps with the cheaper commodities.

Better late than never.

China is proving positively brilliant at uniting its neighbours against it.

A positive step forward for Japan and a boost to regional security. Well done.

How many times are we reading the same thing since Abe and his LDP/Nippon Kaigi took the helm of the nation?

More and more money for the military and defense and leaving the welfare which is the core for a healthy country.

Japan where wage don't raise, Many people including children are in poverty in the shade of defence budget expansion.

far-east version cold war with arms race.

The defence budget is ¥5.3 trillion. 0.94% of GDP. Many NATO countries spend 2.3% of their GDP on defence.

Many here do not believe Japan is capable of spending 2% or more like other nations. Perhaps because Japan is wasteful or has poor accountants not able to keep society functioning as other nations can.

I dont think that is the reason. I am sure Japan is capable of keeping the lights on while spending 2% of budget on the Self Defense Forces. Perhaps cutting the government spending on whaling that has an almost non existent consumer base. Lot's of yen spent there that is wasted. Perhaps cut funding to the arts instead of social support systems?

Japan has the same abilities as European nations to be able to afford 2% and keep growing.

Saying it doesnt is just putting its abilities down without rational reason.

Ask USA - they have lots of money for weapons.

The guards are wearing pointy toe shoes not boots ?

What the heck

The Chinese coastguard are armed and frequently enter the waters of the senkaku wich although are uninhabited are still within Ishigaki city limits.

Armed foreign military of Chinese entering Japanese inhabited Islands and Japan is being far too passive about it.

Its every 2 or 3 days they enter .

In order to preserve its independence, and to have a chance at preventing military aggression, Japan must be in a position to be able to have a chance to defend itself.

In the military budgets of China and the USA, $6 billion isn't even enough to be considered a rounding error.

The Chinese coastguard are armed and frequently enter the waters of the senkaku wich although are uninhabited are still within Ishigaki city limits.

Chinese Coast Guard enter Japan's EEZ but so far not their territorial waters, those waters within 12 nm of shore. Keep in mind that under maritime law the waters of a nations EEZ are international waters. Everything outside the 12nm limit are international waters and airspace. Anyone may sail or fly there. EEZs allow coastal nations to control their fishery and seabed resources. It would be illegal for Chinese fishing boats to fish in Japan's EEZ without permission but innocent passage is legal under maritime law. Same for their Coast Guard ship. The Chinese like to make the threat they will use that Coast Guard ship to protect their fishing boats fishing in Japan's EEZ while asserting it is really part of China's EEZ, and they often show up together so Japan's Coast Guard follows them around. The Chinese are careful never to cross the line into a flagrant violation, they just hint at it, but are always around forcing the Japanese to remain ever vigilant.