Post-WWII shift: invoking Russia, Japan moves to NATO-level military spending

Kyodo News
June 16, 2022

Japan ruling party vows to boost nation’s defense in election pledges

Japan’s ruling party pledged Thursday ahead of a House of Councillors election to “fundamentally” reinforce the country’s defense capability and increase relevant spending in the next five years, as Russia’s war against Ukraine has raised calls for a more robust posture.

The Liberal Democratic Party has in mind a target of roughly doubling the country’s defense spending to 2 percent or more of gross domestic product, in line with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

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“There is no economy or anything else unless we can defend our territory or sovereignty,” Sanae Takaichi, the LDP’s policy chief, told a press briefing.

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The LDP will continue to seek a revision to the Constitution for the first time since it was promulgated in 1946, saying that it will “update” the supreme law drafted under the U.S.-led Allied occupation of Japan after World War II.