Defense Budget Request: Restoring Public Trust a Prerequisite for Increasing Budget

Editorial

17:01 JST, September 2, 2024

There is no objection to building up the defense budget as planned in light of the worsening security environment. However, the recent spate of scandals at the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces are too much to be ignored.

The government should realize that increasing the budget in a severe financial situation will only be possible based on the public’s trust.

For the fiscal 2025 budget request, the ministry has earmarked ¥8.5389 trillion, its largest ever amount. To strengthen defense capabilities, the government has decided on a plan to allocate ¥43 trillion in total for defense expenditures over five years, from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2027. If defense spending exceeds ¥8 trillion per year, it will be a first.

With the international order being shaken, countries that are members of NATO have set a goal of increasing their defense spending to more than 2% of their gross domestic product. Japan has no choice but to raise its defense-related budget to a comparable level.

Budget requests mark the full-scale start of the procurement of missiles and ammunition, which have been in short supply for some time.

More specifically, the ministry requested a total of ¥20 billion for acquiring long-range guided missiles for naval ships and submarines.

The government has been purchasing U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to be used on Aegis-equipped destroyers since last fiscal year.

North Korea has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles, and China also possesses a number of missiles that can reach Japan. To enhance deterrence against threats, it is only natural to build an operational system of counterattack capabilities to attack enemy missile launching sites.

Japan uses Aegis-equipped destroyers and radar to detect and track missiles. The budget request included expenditures for building a satellite constellation network — a system to collect information via many small satellites — in an effort to improve detection capabilities.

In addition, to deal with the chronic shortage of Self-Defense Forces personnel, the government will construct a new type of destroyer that can be operated by a smaller number of people and work to improve treatment of SDF personnel. Even if state-of-the-art defense equipment is introduced, it will be of no use if there are too few personnel who can handle it. Securing members is an urgent task for the SDF.

Meanwhile, there has been no end to the stream of scandals at the ministry and the SDF. Allegations have emerged that Maritime Self-Defense Force members had food and drinks paid for by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., which also gave them money and goods. It has also come to light that crew members of naval ships had access to classified information despite lacking clearance, and that some other MSDF personnel fraudulently received diving allowances.

After the allowances were fraudulently received, the arrests of the then MSDF members were not reported to Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. This is a situation that could shake the very foundation of civilian control.

Not only uniformed SDF officers but also ministry bureaucrats, who are referred to as “suits” and support the defense minister, failed to report the matter. But why? Kihara should thoroughly investigate the problem and take measures to prevent similar incidents.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 2, 2024)