Japan weighs a ¥60 trillion five-year defense plan, below the ¥70 trillion to ¥80 trillion its Defense Ministry says it needs

Japan's government is considering setting its next five-year defense plan at ¥60 trillion, the Japan Times reported. The Defense Ministry estimates that the necessary spending over the period will total ¥70 trillion to ¥80 trillion. The gap between the two numbers reflects the dispute between the Defense Ministry and the Finance Ministry. The current plan, covering fiscal 2023 to 2027, set the required level at about ¥43 trillion.

Funding is the political problem. Kyodo, in a report carried by the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, said an additional corporate tax increase has been floated inside the government and that annual defense spending is likely to exceed ¥10 trillion. The next plan, for fiscal 2027 to 2031, is expected to center on large purchases of drones and on stockpiles of munitions and missiles for a prolonged conflict.

Domestic critics question the money. Shimbun Akahata, the Japanese Communist Party newspaper, wrote that an earlier draft would make the plan about 1.8 times the current one and said the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi cannot show how it would pay for it. The figures may change during year-end budget work and the planned revision of Japan's three security documents.

Tokyo presents the increase as a response to China's military growth and to doubts about how much it can rely on US commitments. Beijing has repeatedly said Japan's military buildup threatens regional stability.