TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Friday it would begin a $320 billion (about 300.6 billion euros) military capacity boost amid heightened tensions with China.
The once-unthinkable buildup will equip the country with missiles capable of hitting China and prepare it for a long-running conflict, as regional tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stoke fears of another war. .
As part of this vast five-year plan, which constitutes the largest military reinforcement observed in Japan since the Second World War, the government declared that it would also stock spare parts, ammunition, expand its logistical means and develop cyber warfare capabilities.
A separate National Security Strategy document promises close cooperation with the United States and other partners.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine constitutes a serious violation of laws that prohibit the use of force and has shaken the foundations of the international order,” the document said.
The report points to the “strategic challenge” posed by China, adding that Beijing has not ruled out using force to take control of Taiwan.
When meeting with Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association President Mitsuo Ohashi in Taipei on Friday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said she expects more cooperation between the two countries around defense issues.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s plan calls for doubling defense spending to around 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) over five years, exceeding the 1% limit set in 1976.
It will bring the Ministry of Defense budget to around one-tenth of all government spending at current levels. The financing of the plan should go through an increase in tobacco taxes and corporate taxes.
(Report Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; with the contribution of Ben Blanchard in Taïpei; French version Augustin Turpin, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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