Japan

US welcomes doubling of military spending but critics express unease over abandoning seven decades of pacifism.

“The Japanese government will depict these changes as necessary, moderate and wholly in line with previous defence posture,” said Hughes, author of Japan as a Global Military Power. The more forceful tone in the national security strategy is expected to anger China. Money will be spent on upgrading Japan’s missile defence and buying up to 500 US-made Tomahawk missiles, media reports said. But critics say that has left Japan ill-equipped to respond to present-day security threats posed by China and North Korea. One of the documents, the national security strategy, said Japan faced “the severest and most complicated national security environment since the end of the war” and singled out China as “the greatest strategic challenge ever to securing the peace and stability of Japan”, as well as a “serious concern” for Japan and the international community. Japan’s government has renamed what is known as a preemptive strike to “counterstrike capability,” apparently to emphasise that it would be used strictly in self-defence when the country is confronted with signs of an imminent attack.

The policy change is widely seen as a major step toward rearming Japan more than seven decades after its demilitarization after World War II.

already brings to the U.S.-Japan alliance. Japan's government, though, he adds, may be able to successfully argue that simply possessing the weapons as a deterrent without using them is in line with the constitution. Japan also plans to develop its own weapons, including [advanced fighter jets](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63908284), [hypersonic missiles](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-considering-hypersonic-missile-deployment-by-2030-nikkei-2022-11-03/) and [armed drones](https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-to-develop-combat-drones-to-assist-jet-fighters). So it's difficult to debate this point." "Not only do we lack a deterrent, we will also prompt a counterattack" from an enemy. The security documents name China, its military buildup and tensions with Taiwan, as primary threats. Japanese politicians are [debating](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/12/12/business/kishida-defense-tax-rises-opposition/) where the money to fund the increase will come from. [missiles](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/11/30/national/japan-buy-tomahawk-missiles/) from the United States, such as [Tomahawk](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/10/b7fc6dbc9e60-urgent-japan-considering-buying-us-cruise-missiles-to-counter-n-korea.html) cruise missiles, capable of reaching North Korea and parts of China. [indicate](https://japan-forward.com/poll-%E3%83%BC-64-see-enemy-base-strike-capability-as-necessary/) a majority of Japanese now agree that the country needs to have a strike capability. [reinterpreted](https://www.mofa.go.jp/fp/nsp/page23e_000273.html) the constitution in 2014 to allow the military to fight in support of an ally under attack. In a statement, U.S. [accused](https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/12/da2cb6187b61-china-wary-about-japan-defense-stance-budget-hike.html) Tokyo of "hyping up the 'China threat' to find an excuse for its military buildup."

With China, North Korea and Russia directly to its west and north, Japan “faces the severest and most complicated national security environment since the end of ...

The government says its use is constitutional if in response to signs of an imminent enemy attack. and Italy, as a way to strengthen the country's defense equipment industry. Japan’s government has renamed what is known as preemptive strike to “counterstrike capability,” apparently to emphasize that it’s for self-defense. It named China as “the biggest strategic challenge” — before North Korea and Russia — to Japan’s effort toward ensuring the peace, safety and stability for itself and the international society. intelligence to be able to detect early signs of an enemy missile launch preparation, experts say, in order to effectively abort the attack without risking blame for making a first strike. Japan says it will keep its pacifist principle of high standards for arms equipment and technology transfer. Japan’s defense buildup has long been considered a sensitive issue at home and in the region, especially for Asian victims of Japanese wartime atrocities. alliance to develop the capability, Johnstone said. But it is extremely difficult to do and Japan needs to advance its cybersecurity and fully rely on the U.S. To quickly respond to possible attacks, Japan will also deploy several standoff missile units at undisclosed locations. North Korea fired more than 30 ballistic missiles this year, including one that The South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it’s “desirable” for Japan to implement the security policy to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Unthinkable under past administrations, the rapid arming of Japan has the support of about 70 percent of voters.

Unthinkable under past administrations, the rapid arming of Japan, which already hosts US forces, including a carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary force, has the backing of most voters, according to opinion polls. Still, in a nod to the sensitivity of the issue, the documents rule out preemptive strikes, and insist Japan is committed to “an exclusively defence-oriented policy”. [Russia’s invasion of Ukraine](/news/2022/12/15/ukraine-cherry-picks-russian-targets-as-russia-hammers-the-east) is a serious violation of laws that forbid the use of force and has shaken the foundations of the international order,” it said in the national security paper.

Japan on Friday adopted a national security strategy declaring plans to possess preemptive strike capability and cruise missiles within years to give itself ...

The government says its use is constitutional if in response to signs of an imminent enemy attack. Japan’s government has renamed what is known as preemptive strike to “counterstrike capability,” apparently to emphasize that it’s for self-defense. and Italy, as a way to strengthen the country’s defense equipment industry. It named China as “the biggest strategic challenge” — before North Korea and Russia — to Japan’s effort toward ensuring the peace, safety and stability for itself and the international society. intelligence to be able to detect early signs of an enemy missile launch preparation, experts say, in order to effectively abort the attack without risking blame for making a first strike. Japan’s defense buildup has long been considered a sensitive issue at home and in the region, especially for Asian victims of Japanese wartime atrocities. alliance to develop the capability, Johnstone said. But it is extremely difficult to do and Japan needs to advance its cybersecurity and fully rely on the U.S. To quickly respond to possible attacks, Japan will also deploy several standoff missile units at undisclosed locations. Japan says it will keep its pacifist principle of high standards for arms equipment and technology transfer. China fired five ballistic missiles into waters near Japanese southern islands including Okinawa. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it’s “desirable” for Japan to implement the security policy to contribute to regional peace and stability.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's Friday announcement that Japan will double its investment in military power is a sign of how a nation can quickly adapt to ...

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Over the past week, the United States, Germany, and Japan all proposed massive increases in military spending, each marking a radical departure from decades ...

Are the governments in Tokyo and Berlin willing to risk a repeat of the horrors of the Second World War? As in Japan, there is broad popular opposition in Germany to military rearmament as a result of the horrendous crimes of German imperialism in the Second World War. German imperialism is also responsible for the murder of as many as 19 million civilians in the Soviet Union against which it conducted a brutal “war of annihilation.” The United States, Germany, Japan and other imperialist powers are preparing for a new imperialist world war. Both the First and Second World Wars were preceded by years of military spending increases in a massive global arms race. While Germany does not have nuclear weapons of its own, as a member of NATO it participates in nuclear weapon sharing with the United States, and US nuclear weapons are stationed in Germany. In China alone, which was invaded by Japan, it is estimated that between 10 and 25 million civilians died in the war. The Japanese imperial government oversaw the murder of millions of people through massacres, starvation and forced labor. In a press statement, Gallagher praised the fact that the bill “Provides similar drawdown authority to arm Taiwan as we have Ukraine.” For the first time, Japan would procure long-range missiles capable of striking China in an offensive strike. The overwhelming majority of the American population was not informed that the measure was being debated or voted on. The massive surge in military spending comes as the typical US household had its real income fall by three percent in the past 12 months.

Japan says missile attacks against it have become "a palpable threat" and its current interceptor-reliant missile defense system is insufficient. North Korea ...

Japan says it will keep its pacifist principle of high standards for arms equipment and technology transfer. While North Korea keeps advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities, the [main threat is still China](https://apnews.com/article/china-japan-ba727bc6b80fe06278ce43ae9a36e703), for which Japan has had to prepare "by using North Korea's threat as a cover," said Tomohisa Takei, a retired admiral in Japan's navy. Kishida said his government will need an extra 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) annually and proposed tax increases to fund a quarter of it. The new spending target follows the NATO standard and will eventually push Japan’s annual budget to about 10 trillion yen ($73 billion), the world’s third biggest after the United States and China. Opponents say strike capability goes beyond self-defense under Japan's pacifist constitution. The biggest change in the National Security Strategy is possession of “counterstrike capability” that Japan calls “indispensable."

Three new security documents prepared by the Kishida administration mark a new era in Japan's post-war security strategy.

By contrast, a clear strategy easily spreads to national institutions and enhances the ability to implement policies, and increases internal and external transparency. On the other hand, it is also true that an ambiguous attitude weakens deterrence against other countries and may increase the risk of conflict. Dualism, especially when intertwined with territorial and historical issues, can lead to a surge of nationalism and patriotism in each country and a loss of self-control. That said, the United States has sometimes referred to China as a “threat” in its important documents. government in October, China was identified as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge.” The official said Japan and the United States are in step with each other on important documents. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in December 2020 repeatedly refers to China as a “threat.” Notably, Japan avoided specifying China as a “threat” even in the updated documents. As a reason for acquiring such a counterstrike capability, government officials stressed that missile strike capabilities in the region have significantly improved in both qualitative and quantitative terms, so Tokyo has been forced to enhance its missile defense capabilities. When considering various aspects such as military, economic, and diplomatic aspects, it is not a good idea to simply use the word ‘threat’ toward China,” the official said. This is a 56.5 percent increase from the 27.47 trillion yen in the current five-year plan, which covers fiscal year 2019 to 2023. The NDS has come in line with the U.S. On December 16, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s cabinet approved the nation’s three key security documents, which will mark a major turning point in Japan’s post-war policy of maintaining an exclusively defense-oriented policy if realized.

Japan on Friday unveiled a new national security plan that signals the country's biggest military buildup since World War II, doubling defense spending and ...

“It was a wake-up call,” according to professor Kuo Yu-Jen of Taiwan’s National Sun Yet-Sen University who specializes in Japan defense policy. Much of the tensions between China and Japan center on Taiwan. While Japan is regarded to have one of the world’s most modern and powerful militaries, its weaponry has been designed to strike enemies near its islands. Meanwhile, China has been upping its military pressure on Taiwan, the self-ruled island whose security Japanese leaders have said is vital to the security of Japan itself. We advise Japan to take it easy,” Global Times said. “The Japanese military is incredibly capable. “We welcome the release of Japan’s updated strategy documents … The United States also operates several large military installations in Japan, including Yokosuka Naval Base, home to the US Navy’s 7th Fleet. From its west, Japan has been watching the buildup of North Korea’s missile arsenal. We have no arms control,” Panda said. Where we have no measures of restraint. According to Self-Defense Force officials, Japan’s current missile defense systems can only engage an incoming target once it comes within range of about 31 miles (50 kilometers).

Japan has approved a new national security strategy this week, which includes a pledge to have the potential to "counterstrike" to deter enemy strikes and ...

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). The ability to counterattackThe most significant change brought on by Japan's "ability to counterattack is crucial. A look at how [Japan](/topic/japan)'s defensive stance will change due to the country's new security and military policy.

In one of his last diary entries, Japanese teacher Yoshio Kudo lamented workdays that started early and could last until nearly midnight.

This year, Japan's ruling party established a task force to study the issue. "I feel like my husband and I are working together to follow through on his last words -- that he wants to change the working practices of teachers".© 2022 AFP "So many teachers regret that they lived their lives without stopping to enjoy the growth of their own children," she said. Instead, the law adds eight hours' worth of extra pay to their monthly salaries, a framework that Nishimoto says results in "making teachers work without limits for fixed pay". But she acknowledged that many "continue to work long hours" and "efforts need to be accelerated". Kudo's taxing schedule was far from an exception in Japan, where teachers work some of the longest hours in the world, saddled with tasks from cleaning and supervising school commutes to after-school clubs.