Japan’s Defense Ministry said the Chinese military’s Y9 intelligence-gathering aircraft “violated” Japanese airspace for about two minutes at 11:29 am (0229 GMT) on Aug. 26, 2024. File | Photo credit: AFP Photo/Japan Defense Ministry
Japan’s Defense Ministry on Friday (August 30, 2024) sought a record 8.5 trillion-yen (USD 59 billion) budget for next year to bolster its deterrence on southwestern islands against a growing threat from China, while focusing on unmanned weapons and AI to compensate for the declining number of troops as a result of the country’s shrinking population.
The ministry’s request for 2025 is the third year of Japan’s accelerated five-year military build-up plan under the government’s current security strategy. Japan aims to double its annual military spending to about 10 trillion yen by 2027, spending 43 trillion yen (USD 297 billion), making it the world’s third-largest military spender after the United States and China.
The budget request was approved in a meeting of the Ministry of Defense on Friday (August 30, 2024), after which it will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for negotiations by December.
Japan has been rapidly beefing up the defense of its southwestern region in recent years amid growing military threats from China and tensions in regional seas.
China has escalated confrontations with the Philippine coast guard in disputed waters of the South China Sea and has sent a fleet of coast guard boats to regularly violate territorial waters around disputed Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, which Beijing also claims.
970 billion yen ($6.7 billion) of the budget request for 2025 covers the cost of strengthening strike-back capability with the development and purchase of long-range missiles and equipment for their launch, including Aegis-class destroyers. About a third of it goes to a satellite constellation aimed at strengthening the ability to detect missile-related activity, as North Korea, China and Russia are developing hypersonic missiles that are harder to detect and track.
While stepping up military construction, Japan must deal with a shrinking military size and is focusing on developing and buying more drones for surveillance and combat, requesting 103 billion yen (US$710 million). It is also seeking 314 billion yen (US$2.17 billion) to build three new multi-purpose compact destroyers, which require 90 crew members, less than half the crew currently required.
Japanese defense officials say combat drones are “game changers” that can fly hours-long missions and reduce human losses in war and see them as a key pillar of Japan’s ongoing military buildup. Unmanned weapons could also help a country that is struggling with its aging and declining population.
Japan is struggling to meet the strength of 247,000 SDF troops.
In recent years the Self-Defense Force has had difficulty attracting young applicants and last year it met only half of its recruitment target of 19,598, the lowest in the SDF’s 70-year history. Last year, 6,258 mid-career personnel quit the job, the highest number in 30 years.
“Due to a declining childbearing rate and a shrinking working-age population, it is inevitable that Japan will face a serious labor shortage,” the ministry said in an interim report on human resources released Friday. “We need to build an organization that can fight in new ways while strengthening defense power.”
The ministry report said that due to a declining youth population and private companies offering better salaries and benefits, “the recruitment environment for military personnel has become the worst since the Second World War.”
It requested 18 billion yen (US$124 million) to introduce an AI surveillance system at 40 SDF bases across Japan, aiming to free up 1,000 service personnel. It is also asking for 4.3 billion yen (US$29.7 million) for automated supply storage for launch in Okinawa in 2027.
In an interim report released on Friday (August 30, 2024), the ministry called for reforms to improve pay, working environment, more training and learning opportunities, as well as support for working mothers to attract more women.
The ministry has been rocked by a number of revelations of sexual assault, harassment and abuse of power in recent years. Its internal investigation last year criticised cover-up efforts and a lack of a sense of responsibility among supervisors. It came under fire in July over leaks of classified information and corruption scandals.