Japan’s lower house on Tuesday (February 28th) approved the budget for next fiscal year, which includes a record budget of 6.8 trillion yen ($50 billion) for defense. It has been reported Japan Today.
Such spending is part of Japan’s efforts to strengthen its military as China’s influence in the region grows, according to the publication.
The defense budget for 2023, up 20% from the previous year, includes 211.3 billion yen ($1.5 billion) to deploy US-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles that can be launched from warships and hit targets up to 1.6 thousand kilometers.
The new defense budget is the first phase of Japan’s five-year 43 trillion yen military spending plan under the new National Security Strategy announced in December.
The new strategy includes developing missile systems to prevent enemy attacks in response to potential threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
The new spending target is in line with NATO standards and will eventually increase Japan’s annual defense budget to nearly 10 trillion yen ($73 billion), making it the world’s third-largest military budget after the United States and China.
Previously reportedIt has been reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has started the trial operation of the American MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle produced by General Atomics.
The Japanese military plans to test the remote-controlled aircraft system (RPAS) for adaptability to joint manned and unmanned missions and to reduce reliance on human actions.