Japan proposed a record high defense budget

The government of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on December 27 approved a budget of 115.54 trillion yen (730 billion USD) in fiscal year 2025, of which 8.7 trillion yen (55 billion USD) is for for national defense, the highest ever when calculated in local currency.

Japan’s projected 2025 defense budget surpasses the old record of 7.9 trillion yen ($56 billion at the exchange rate upon approval) in fiscal 2024 and is the 13th consecutive year Japan has increased it. defense budget. This proposed budget will need to be approved by parliament to officially take effect.

The Japanese government plans to spend $5.9 billion to enhance long-range attack capabilities next year. Tokyo also allocated more than 260 million USD to buy two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) MQ-9B Sea Guardian, an unarmed maritime patrol version of the MQ-9 Reaper series.

Tokyo will also spend about 2.6 billion USD to improve the lives of soldiers, while facing a shortage of human resources for the military due to population aging. Accordingly, 2.4 billion USD will be spent to upgrade the living and working environment of soldiers; 105 million USD was allocated to improve remuneration policies, including higher salaries.

In addition, $12 million will be spent to help soldiers find jobs after demobilization, because Japanese soldiers often retire earlier than normal office workers.

“No matter how powerful our tanks and military vehicles are, it will be meaningless if there are not enough people to operate them,” Prime Minister Ishiba said on December 26.

Another notable expenditure is nearly 690 million USD for a joint project to develop a new generation fighter model with Italy and the UK, expected to ship the first one in 2035.

Tokyo will also allocate budget for the goal of owning a system to collect satellite information on ballistic missiles, as well as the activities of ships in the seas around Japan, including areas where the country is currently operating. dispute with China.

The record high defense budget draft was released in the context of the Japanese Ministry of Defense saying Tokyo is facing “the most complex and harsh security environment” since World War II. The country is also entering the third year of a five-year military modernization plan.

This plan emphasizes improving long-range defense capabilities, attacking targets beyond the range of opponents’ counterattacks, as well as enhancing superiority in areas related to unmanned equipment, through cooperation. with allies and like-minded countries.

Japan earlier this year successfully tested an increased-range version of the Type-12 anti-ship missile, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 900-1,200 km.