Japan, seeking arms buildup, makes opaque budget request

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Defense Ministry made an opaque budget request for the coming year Wednesday without specifying the costs of missiles for pre-emptive strikes and dozens of other arms, as well as its development plans, as the government aims to drastically raise Japan's arms capability.

The ministry said it can disclose details only after the government in December adopts a new national security strategy and defense guidelines, which are being revised to fundamentally reinforce Japan's military capability over the next five years.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised the military reinforcement to President Joe Biden during his visit to Japan in May as the two countries strengthen their security alliance amid China's increasing military activity in the region. Japan has been also expanding its military cooperation with friendly nations in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

Only a partial sum of 5.6 trillion yen ($40.4 billion) was disclosed for 2023, but the ministry's budget plan could rise to around 6.5 trillion yen ($47 billion), up 20% from this year, Japanese media said.

Japan caps annual defense spending at 1% of its GDP, but Kishida's governing party proposes doubling it in coming years, citing NATO's standard of 2% of GDP.

That means Japan’s annual defense spending would rise to about 10 trillion yen ($72 billion), becoming the world’s third-largest after the United States and China.

Ministry officials said aggression as in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could occur in the Indo-Pacific region, as Beijing strengthens military cooperation with Moscow and escalates tension over Taiwan.

China fired five ballistic missiles into waters near Okinawa during Beijing’s major military drills near Taiwan in early August, while North Korea’s missile and nuclear...