TOKYO: Japan is expected this week to announce its biggest defense reforms in decades, raising spending, restructuring its military command and acquiring new missiles to counter the threat from China.
The policies outlined in three defense and security documents on Friday will reshape the defense landscape in a country whose post-war constitution does not even officially recognize an army.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said over the weekend that “basically strengthening our defense capabilities is the most important challenge in this intense security environment.”
“We will rapidly increase our defense capabilities over the next five years.”
The shift is a result of Tokyo’s fears about China’s military power and regional position, as well as threats from North Korea’s missile launches to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Key to the new policies is a pledge to raise spending to two percent of GDP by 2027 to bring Japan on par with NATO members.
This marks a significant increase from historical spending of around one percent and has sparked criticism of how it will be financed.
The money will fund projects for what Japan calls a “counter-strike capability,” including the ability to target launch sites that pose a threat to the country, even preemptively.
Japan has previously shied away from pursuing this capability over whether it could violate the constitution’s limits on self-defense.
In a nod to the conflict, the policy documents will reportedly emphasize that Japan adheres to a “security policy based on self-defense” and “will not become a military power”.
Part of that capability will come from 500 US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles that Japan is reportedly considering buying as a backstop while it develops long-range missiles indigenously.
Japan has also announced plans to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet with Italy and Britain, and is reportedly planning to build new ammunition depots and launch satellites to help guide potential counter-attacks. found
The changes will also affect military organization, with the Nikkei newspaper reporting that all three branches of the Self-Defense Forces will be brought under a single command within five years.
According to local media, the SDF presence on Japan’s southernmost islands will be increased – including a tripling of units capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
Documents including a key national security strategy are expected to point to China for a change in policy.
Japan’s ruling party reportedly wants to label Beijing a “threat”, but will settle for China as a “serious concern” and Japan’s “greatest strategic challenge” under pressure from its alliance partner.
It still represents a sea change from 2013, the first iteration of the document and the last time it was updated, when Japan said it sought a “mutually beneficial strategic partnership,” a The sentence that is expected will now end.
Concerns about China have deepened since Beijing staged major military exercises around Taiwan in August, during which missiles landed in Japanese economic waters.
China said on Wednesday it was “strongly opposed” to the proposed documents.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that they deviate from Japan’s commitment to bilateral relations and the consensus between China and Japan, and make baseless accusations against China.
Japan is also expected to view Russia as a challenge, compared to its 2013 pledge to seek cooperation and “enhance” ties.
Japan has joined Western allies in imposing sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine, deepening the already chilly relationship.