TOKYO – Japan´s Cabinet on Friday approved a 770 billion yen ($6.8 billion) request for an extra defense budget through March to expedite the purchase of missiles, anti-submarine rockets and other weapons amid rising concern over the escalation of military activities by China, Russia and North Korea.
The request, still pending parliamentary approval, brings Japan´s military spending for the current year to a new high of more than 6.1 trillion yen ($53.2 billion), up 15% from 5.31 trillion yen in 2020.
The Defense Ministry says its “defense power reinforcement and acceleration package” is designed to speed up deployment of some of the key equipment from the 2022 budget request.
The goal is to beef up Japan´s defenses against North Korea´s missile threat and China´s increasingly assertive maritime activity around remote Japanese southwestern islands, officials said according to AP.
Japan has also raised concerns over recent joint military activities by China and Russia near its waters and airspace.
A fleet of two Chinese H-6 fighters and two Russian Tu-95s flew from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea and to the Pacific Ocean, triggering Japanese Self-Defense Force jets to scramble, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday.
The budget request includes nearly 100 billion yen ($870 million) for the advanced version of PAC-3 mobile surface-to-air missile interceptors and related equipment, as well as cruise missiles.
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