Japan accelerates arms race

#acceleration#military#competitionThe Japanese government and the LDP are accelerating the arms race in the name of the Ukraine war. It has articulated plans to increase defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and is working on strengthening weapons to reflect "enemy base attack capability." Nihon Keizai Shimbun said on the 7th that the Liberal Democratic Party plans to propose to the government to increase defense spending and introduce military equipment by the end of this month, while keeping in mind the emergency (war) in Taiwan, the national plan is revised to the end of this year. He reports that his goal is to embody this in a security strategy. The newspaper added that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had sparked public opinion on strengthening Japan's defense capabilities, and the proposal was being brought forward a month earlier.The main content of the Liberal Democratic Party's proposal is to increase defense spending. It will include a plan to raise defense spending to more than 2 percent of GDP from the current level of 1 percent. Achieving measures such as expected timing and annual increases will be more specific than ever.There are two main reasons why the Democratic Party insists on increasing defense spending. With the Ukrainian war and the U.S. having to deal with Russia, Japan must strengthen its defenses against China and North Korea. Internationally, the U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2023 (October 2022-September 2011) increased by 4.2% compared with this year, and Germany also increased its total domestic production to more than 2%, a trend that continues. "The LDP's goal is to spark public discussion about possible emergencies across Japan after the Ukrainian invasion," the Nikkei reported.The fact that the LDP has moved so quickly is largely influenced by public opinion. A telephone poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun from the 1st to the 3rd showed that 64% of people answered "agree" to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also been insisting on increasing defense spending. Former Prime Minister Abe said in a speech on the 3rd in Yamaguchi Prefecture, his region, "(defense spending) 2022 (2021) supplementary budget". That adds up to about 6 trillion yen. It's important to secure this money in next year's budget. This year's defense spending is about 5.45 trillion yen, which is the norm for this budget, which, as former Prime Minister Abe said, must be increased by about 11.1 percent. The LDP is expected to include concerns about having direct attacks on neighboring countries such as North Korea and China. Specific details of the missile base's "enemy base attack capability." It is planning to request the introduction of military equipment to increase deterrence against North Korea and China, and to tease out the methods and conditions for having an "enemy base attack capability."The Japanese government is also accelerating the expansion of weapons. The Tokyo Shimbun plans to increase the long-range "stand-off" missile Self-Defense Forces based on the revision of the Ministry of Defense's "Mid-term Defense Forces Development Plan" on the National Defense Program Outline and Weapon Systems, which was reported at a private meeting held by the Liberal Democratic Party's Security Investigation Committee. "The purpose is to strengthen deterrence against China and North Korea by increasing the production and performance of weapons that can be converted into capabilities to attack enemy bases," the newspaper analyzed. The Defense Ministry said at a closed meeting that it called for improvements. "Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile (SSM)" and secure budget for early commercialization. The Ministry of Defense plans to increase the range of 200 kilometers to more than 1,000 kilometers, five times the current range of 200 kilometers, not only on the ground and on ships, but also on fighter jets and deployed in actual combat until the second half of the 2020s, which is being promoted middle.