Tokyo [Japan], November 6 (ANI): Japan is considering expanding its overall defense spending by broadening the definition of “related” expenditures to include space projects and infrastructure initiatives undertaken by government agencies beyond the Defense Ministry, sources familiar with the matter told Kyodo News.
The move is aimed at demonstrating Tokyo’s determination to increase defense outlays amid China’s growing military assertiveness and other regional security challenges. The United States has also been pressuring its Asian ally to shoulder a greater share of the regional security burden, Kyodo News reported.
Ahead of her first in-person summit with US President Donald Trump late last month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to accelerate Japan’s goal of raising defense spending and related initiatives to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by fiscal 2025, two years ahead of the original 2027 target.
Takaichi told reporters after talks with Trump on October 28 in Tokyo that there were no “exchanges with numbers in mind.” However, months earlier, the Trump administration had reportedly pressed Japan behind the scenes to raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP, according to Kyodo News.
Sources said the government is considering allocating a larger portion of its budget to projects that enhance defense readiness, including space and aviation initiatives, as well as infrastructure protection, and counting them toward the overall defense total.
In the initial budget for the current fiscal year starting in April, defense spending was set at approximately 8.5 trillion yen ($55 billion), with related expenses totaling around 1.5 trillion yen. These related expenditures cover four key areas — research and development, public infrastructure, cybersecurity, and international cooperation — as well as the Japan Coast Guard’s budget.
Infrastructure projects currently counted as defense-related primarily involve civilian airports and ports expected to be used by the Self-Defense Forces and the coast guard in the event of a contingency. The government is also considering whether to include programs that protect energy facilities, transportation systems, and communications networks. Additional ideas have emerged to add expenses for shipbuilding, disaster prevention, and police activities aimed at safeguarding sensitive information and advanced technology.
Takaichi, who assumed office on October 21 and is known as a security hawk, has pledged to update Japan’s key national security policy documents by the end of 2026. Under the framework adopted in 2022, Japan set a goal of increasing defense and defense-related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027 — a major rise from the long-standing cap of around 1 percent.
The current defense buildup plan allocates 43 trillion yen in spending over five years through March 2028. The government has floated the idea of expanding items classified as defense-related, believing that revising the policy documents should be accompanied by additional budgetary measures, Kyodo News reported.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said he conveyed Japan’s resolve to continue increasing its defense spending when he met with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on October 29 in Tokyo.
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