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TOKYO: Japan's Cabinet on Friday (Dec 26) approved a record defence budget plan exceeding ¥9 trillion (US$58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defence with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region.
The draft budget for fiscal 2026 beginning April is up 9.4 per cent from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan's ongoing five-year programme to double annual arms spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product.
The increase comes as Japan faces elevated tension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country's military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.
Takaichi’s government, under United States pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2 per cent target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise its ongoing security and defence policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military.
MISSILES AND DRONES WILL ADD TO SOUTHWESTERN ISLAND DEFENCE
The new budget plan allocates more than ¥970 billion to bolster Japan's "standoff" missile capability. It includes a ¥177 billion purchase of domestically developed and upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000km.
The first batch of the Type-12 missiles will be deployed in Japan's southwestern Kumamoto prefecture by March, a year earlier than planned, as Japan accelerates its missile build-up in the region.
The current security strategy names China as the country's biggest strategic challenge and calls for more offensive roles for Japan’s Self-Defense Force under its security alliance with the US
In part due to Japan's ageing and declining population and its struggles with an understaffed military, the government believes unmanned weapons are essential.
To defend the coasts, Japan will spend ¥100 billion to deploy "massive" unmanned air, sea-surface and underwater drones for surveillance and defence under a system called SHIELD planned for March 2028, defence ministry officials said.
For speedier deployment, Japan initially plans to rely mainly on imports, possibly from Turkey or Israel.
TENSION WITH CHINA GROWS
The budget announcement comes as Japan's row with China escalates following Takaichi's remark in November that the Japanese military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
The disagreement escalated this month when Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan prompted Tokyo to protest when Chinese aircraft locked their radar on Japanese aircraft, which is considered possible preparation for firing missiles.
The defence ministry, already alarmed by China’s rapid expansion of operations in the Pacific, will open a new office dedicated to studying operations, equipment and other necessities for Japan to deal with China's Pacific activity.
Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted in June almost simultaneously operating near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the first time, fueling Tokyo's concern about Beijing's rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders and areas around the disputed East China Sea islands.
JAPAN PLANS JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF FRIGATES AND JETS
Japan is pushing to strengthen its largely domestic defence industry by participating in joint development with friendly nations, and promoting foreign sales, after drastically easing arms export restrictions in recent years.
For 2026, Japan plans to spend more than ¥160 billion to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy for deployment in 2035. There are also plans for research and development of artificial-intelligence-operated drones designed to fly with the jet.
In a major boost to the country's defence industry, Australia selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in August to upgrade the Mogami-class frigate to replace its fleet of 11 ANZAC-class ships.
Japan's budget allocates nearly ¥10 billion to support the industry base and arms sales.
MEETING TARGETS, BUT FUTURE FUNDING UNCERTAIN
The budget plan requires parliamentary approval by March to be implemented as part of a ¥122.3 trillion national budget Bill.
The five-year defence build-up programme would bring Japan's annual spending to around ¥10 trillion, making it the world's third-largest spender after the US and China. Japan will clear the 2 per cent target by March as promised, the finance ministry said.
Takaichi’s government plans to fund its growing military spending by raising corporate and tobacco taxes, and recently adopted a plan for an income tax increase beginning in 2027. Prospects for future growth at a higher percentage of GDP are unclear.
