China to hike defense budget by 8.1% in 2018

China's overhead for retirees and healthcare is probably quite a bit lower than that of the USA. So when it comes to actual money going towards weapon and personnel, they're probably close to 1/3, or 1/2 that of the USA.

Quote: 'on defense'.

This must mean defense of expanding newly-taken territories in the south China Sea and north India, and defense of Taiwan etc., ie places already in the planning to be taken.

Let me guess, Japan and South Korea will express "concerns", before buying new F-35 or warships ?

The term "defense" should simply be changed to "war", because visibly everyone is preparing for it.

Yet there are still NK and China fawners pleading with the world that this is all for "self-defense" and that these abominable states are more responsible than democratic players like Japan and America. It looks like these Commie states are either engaging in considerable asymmetric information warfare or just plain lucked out with a bunch of useful idiots bitter at the West for their professional and social failures.

China's military budget will likely overtake America's within the next 15 years

That's a lot of money, more toys. Time for Xis son to step forward and take the crown. And Abes son too, wait a minute?.........

The Soviet -era antique Liaoning aircraft carrier is 60 years behind the sleek and new stealth generation Izumo aircraft carrier.

The cutting edge and futuristic technology of the Izumo would make the Liaoning look like a leaky dinghy in a friendly race .

Maybe the Liaoning is a match for the Akagi?

So it's no wonder why China has to spend more to improve her obsolete navy which a Japanese defense ministry official estimated can all be sunk in the first fourteen hours of battle.

Go for it China! Show the arrogant US and Japanese they will not dominate Asia.

her obsolete navy which a Japanese defense ministry official estimated can all be sunk in the first fourteen hours of battle.

Hang on - isnt this "leaky dinghy" Chinese navy the same one you have been banging on about in other threads as being strong and threatening enough to lead an "invasion" of Japan any time soon? Which is it - obsolete leaky dinghies or an imminent threat?

Nice target.

China continues to build up its military and hold's a HUGE grudge against Japan. It doesnt take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out who it will be looking to give a bloody nose to when it is ready. Japan may not want war but if it does not modify its constitution to untie its hands it will be a short conflict with China invading and running Japan as payback to settle old scores. The only thing that can stop that happening is if Japan has enough of an arsenal to discourage such actions. And to have strong allies plural.

When China takes over land it sends in masses of Han Chinese to tip the ethnic balance in its favor. I can see Japan with millions of Chinese citizens out numbering the declining Japanese population. Look at Tibet and the mongol states in todays China.

Beware. Peace is nice but there is always a price to keep it. If you stop paying the price then you get the alternative and only then do you wish you had kept paying the price for freedom and peace.

China has one aim. To be the leader of the world in ALL things. I dont know about anyone else but I dont like the chinese way, and do not want to have to answer to them. They treat their own citizens poorly, how well do they treat Tibetans and Mongol citizens? Second class in their own lands.

Japan needs to keep pace with China by increasing its defense spending and amending its constitution.

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASL3443MHL34UTFK004.html

Japanese defense ministry has apparently abandoned the domestic development of the indigenous stealth fighter F-3 due to budget problems.

Japanese defense ministry will now decide between buying more F-35 fighters, or joining an international fighter jet development program, likely European.

if it does not modify its constitution to untie its hands it will be a short conflict with China invading and running Japan as payback to settle old scores

In this hypothetical is the US just standing by and watching?

China's military budget is "disproportional in the sense that the economies of Southeast Asia do not have the resources to keep pace" and Japan's constitution restricts military spending, said Matthew Funaiole, a fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

Same as the US dwarfing all their north & central american neighbours with their massive military budget really. Defense spending & level playing field do not go hand in hand (unfortunately).

"Japanese defense ministry has apparently abandoned the domestic development of the indigenous stealth fighter F-3 due to budget problems."

BS! Here is the article:

The Ministry of Defense entered a final adjustment on the successor to the Air Self Defense Force fighter F2 which will retire from around 2030 in a direction to abandon domestic development. We will submit information request (RFI) on the performance of F2 successor aircraft that Japan needs this week and request information from US companies during this week. The Ministry of Defense will continue to consider international collaborative development in the future, but there is also an alternative plan to purchase the latest American stealth fighter F35A.

The article does not mention the F3 or Europe. The Ministry is doing its homework. It is gathering information so it can compare costs and performance for a replacement for the F2. If the US sells Japan the F-22, then Japan would let go the F-3, but the US won't sell Japan the F-22, so Japan will opt to develop the F-3.

Thank you China. You just sold the F-35b and full deck aircraft carriers to Japan . Moreover, you just shut up the opposition to amending Japan's constitution. Thank you again China. Long live Emperor Xi!

@econostat

BS! Here is the article:

At least you agree this part in your own translation

in a direction to abandon domestic development.

.

The article does not mention the F3 or Europe

Well, the F-2's successor is the F-3, isn't it?

As for Europe, this came out late last year.

so Japan will opt to develop the F-3.

Your own translation says Japan's giving up on the F-2's successor.

@econstats

You just sold the F-35b and full deck aircraft carriers to Japan 

And China just killed Japan's domestic aerospace industry in order to pay for the F-35B and Izumo carriers.

"disproportional in the sense that the economies of Southeast Asia do not have the resources to keep pace"

For now, but as ASEAN grows Southeast Asia will boost spending very considerably. They don't have the checks on offensive defense spending that Japan has. You can expect Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam. The bigger countries to spend up. Something else Japan should be aware of for its own security.

Will there be a combined ASEAN mlitary? That's an interesting question. The Europeans are finally starting to do this now. Slowly but surely. Egged on by a U.S that does not inspire confidence in Europe and by a realization that Russia continues to be hostile, unfortunately.

Thank you China. You just sold the F-35b and full deck aircraft carriers to Japan . Moreover, you just shut up the opposition to amending Japan's constitution. Thank you again China. Long live Emperor Xi!

Japan was already going that way and given that the LDP is by far the strongest party, even when Abe goes, I would not expect any major change in that trend.

"Your own translation says Japan's giving up on the F-2's successor."

Where does it say that? It says

The Ministry of Defense entered a final adjustment on the successor to the Air Self Defense Force fighter F2 which will retire from around 2030 in a direction to abandon domestic development. We will submit information request (RFI) on the performance of F2 successor aircraft that Japan needs this week and request information from US companies during this week. 

Hence there will be a successor.

It says this:

in a direction abandon domestic development. It should read sole domestic development.

The F-3 was developed by both Mitsubishi and Lockhead. Sole domestic development was never in the cards.

Asahi knows that.

As for Europe, if you are thinking about the eurofighter, it is not a stealth fighter. Europe has not produce a stealth fighter. Japan wants a stealth fighter, so they won't go with anything from Europe.

"And China just killed Japan's domestic aerospace industry in order to pay for the F-35B and Izumo carriers."

Utter rubbish. Japan has the F-3, the C-2, P-1. It is also making the f-35A and will no doubt will make the f-35b in Japan as well. The defense budget in Japan will also increase as well. It also has the MRJ and the Honda Jet and Jaxa.

Moreover, Japan has a monopoly composite materials. Every Jet in the world depends on Japan to take off.

About the domestic stealth fighter.... Japan has proven that they can make a “stealthier” and more maneuverable plane than the US with the ATD-X “shinshin.”

The engines newly developed by Ishikawa-Harima also boasted a weight/thrust ratio and fuel efficiency better than anything else out there.

The problem was, those were both scaled down models, and the application of full size models existed in theory only.

If Mitsubishi and IHI can prove to Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, etc that they can make it work, there’s a good chance that the result of a joint development could be something amazing.

Any country increasing their defense spending as they deem fit is their own business.

China with its mega billions invested in their One Belt/Road project would not be so trigger happy with its military or their country would time travel back to the 'Opium War' stage.

Japan's military is very strong and disciplined and what is needed is to totally replace the Colonizer Constitution with a new and real Japanese Constitution.

This is the only way for Japan to be a respectable and truly independent country again .

A Japan that will have an independent foreign policy free from colonizer control.

China has stated it will soon begin the construction of a nuclear powered carrier.

The U.S is building 2 new carriers, India is building 1. Japan could build one if they see fit. Not sure Australia would ever build one. More likely to buy it or build it based on a European or even U.K design

About the domestic stealth fighter.... Japan has proven that they can make a “stealthier” and more maneuverable plane than the US with the ATD-X “shinshin.”

I hope Japan goes ahead with a new model. I am confident they could build something for less than $100m a plane which would make it competitive in the West at least. A medium term goal.

@Bintaro, your exactly right "The term "defense" should simply be changed to "war". It was Edward Bernays who swung it around.

To secure peace and propriety of Northeast Asia, Northeast Asians must demand their govt to form a United State of Northeast Asia. The unified defense forces will safe guard the development of the region.

Akie, STOP with your so-called "United States of Northeast Asia" spiel. So long as political ideology differences exists within that region, that "United" will never happen. China and North Korea needs to get IN STEP --- ideologically speaking --- with Japan and South Korea before any alliance can happen.

Akie, how about a Pacific Economic Union with a uniform PEU passport and currency, the Kai 貝 for example?

Depending on your region, then the passport would state: PEU China, for example, or PEU Japan.

You can then use all your militaries and aircraft carriers for common defense of the region, or for helping the United Nations in trouble spots.

nandakandamanda, good question. Only when you have a United State of Northeast Asia, then you will have PEU. The unique situation in Northeast Asia needs badly of the United State of Northeast Asia. We are powerful enough, yet we are divided by very small disputes in tiny Islands. We have very long civilization, yet we are divided by very short wars. We have common ancestry, yet we are divided by small differences in ideologies. We are neighbors of nature, yet we are divided by the quad of men. Everything seems good, yet everything seems wrong. Only when we unite, we will overcome the narcissism of small differences.

Just let you know:

Japan says indigenous F-2 replacement is still an option

The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) has distanced itself from news reports in the country that it is leaning towards a foreign design in its project to select a fighter platform that will eventually replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) F-2 multirole combat aircraft.

A source in the MoD told Jane’s that programme officials have not made any decisions and that several streams of development are still being evaluated. These include licenced production of an existing foreign design, joint development of a new aircraft with an international manufacturer, the development of an indigenous platform, or a programme to upgrade and refurbish the F-2.