Japan Defense Ministry Seeks Record $6.7 Bn Extra Budget

TR_123456 · Nov 26, 2021

Troops of the Maritime Self-Defense Force attend an inspection parade at the Asaka base in suburban Tokyo on October 24, 2010. Photo: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tokyo must boost its military at a “radically different pace.”

Japan’s defense ministry said Friday it would seek a record $6.7 billion additional spending this financial year to speed up purchases of military equipment, citing the “increasingly severe” regional security environment.

Noting challenges posed by China and North Korea, the ministry said the regional security situation was becoming “increasingly severe at an unprecedented speed.”

Japan’s military budget has been rising steadily for about a decade and the ministry has already put in a request for next financial year worth $50 billion, maintaining record spending.

But Friday’s request seeks to add 773.8 billion yen ($6.7 billion) in a supplementary budget for spending through March 2022, up from the record set in the year ending March 2020 of 428.7 billion yen in extra spending.

The additional money would cover the cost of missiles, patrolling aircrafts, torpedos, helicopters, and other equipment, some of which were budgeted for purchase in next year’s spending.