
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi attends a meeting about improving Japan’s defense capabilities on Friday.
November 27, 2021
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The fiscal 2021 supplementary budget bill the government adopted Friday includes ¥773.8 billion for defense spending, the highest amount ever in an extra budget, up about 1.8-fold from the previous record of ¥428.7 billion, set in fiscal 2019.
The Defense Ministry’s budget request for fiscal 2022, submitted earlier this year, totaled ¥5,479.7 billion, including funds for purchasing defense equipment.
Using the fiscal 2021 extra budget, the ministry plans to acquire some of the equipment, including P-1 patrol and C-2 transport aircraft and upgraded PAC-3 interceptor missiles, around three to six months earlier than initially targeted.
The extra budget will also cover costs related to the relocation of a U.S. military base to the Henoko coastal area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, from Ginowan in the prefecture.
It is unusual for the ministry to use a supplementary budget for acquiring defense equipment on such a large scale.
The ministry is positioning the fiscal 2021 extra budget and fiscal 2022 initial budget as a “package to accelerate the strengthening of defense capabilities.”
In a joint statement issued at a Japan-U.S. summit in April, Japan expressed its resolve to “bolster its own national defense capabilities to further strengthen the [Japan-U.S.] Alliance and regional security.”
The United States is urging Japan to play a greater role in countering China’s growing hegemonic moves.
In the Oct. 31 general House of Representatives election, the Liberal Democratic Party pledged to aim to increase the country’s defense spending to 2% or more of gross domestic product.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Presses U.S. to Scrap 25% Auto Tariffs as Ishiba Refuses Partial Trade Deal; No Deal Without ‘Total Rollback’
-
U.S. Talks About Car, Rice Exports During Meetings with Akazawa; Trump Mentions Japan’s Defense Burden, Ministers Don’t
-
LDP to Forgo Compiling Selective Surname Bill During Current Diet Session
-
Ishiba: Japan-U.S. Tariff Talks Should Produce Desirable Model for Other Countries
-
Japanese Govt on High Alert after Chinese Aircraft Intrusion into Territorial Airspace near Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Pref.
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Core Inflation in Japan’s Capital Sharply Accelerates in April
-
U.S. Holds Fire Over Yen Exchange Rate Targets; Bessent Said to Understand Negative Impact on Markets
-
Rice Prices Rise for 15th Straight Week, with Releases of Stockpiled Rice Slow to Circulate
-
Social Media Helps Fuel Growing ‘Sex Tourism’ in Japan
-
Japan Must Take Lead in Maintaining Free Trade System, Says Chairman of Japan Trade Group