(Bloomberg) – Japan will describe China as an “unprecedented strategic challenge” in a new national security policy, according to a draft by Bloomberg.
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The new strategy, which is expected to get the green light from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet on Friday, also includes plans for Japan to procure long-range missiles – including developing its own hypersonic weapons – as part of a radical upgrade of its defense capabilities. Kishida will hold a press conference in Tokyo at 6 p.m. that will focus on the changes
The postponement was prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan that included Chinese missiles being dropped into waters near Japanese islands earlier this year, and North Korea’s increased missile launches.
Japan is wary of the language it uses when describing the security concerns of its largest trading partner China, although it has used the word “threat” in reference to North Korea in Defense Ministry documents.
Citing a “remarkable” buildup of missile capabilities in the region, the government says in the document that it is becoming difficult to counter the situation simply by strengthening the country’s existing missile defense network.
The revision of three documents governing Japan’s security and defense strategy calls for the acquisition of a “counter-strike capability” that would allow Japan to attack enemy military installations, marking a turning point for a country bound by a pacifist constitution since 1947 .
According to the documents, the government plans to use Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Tomahawk missiles for this purpose. to buy. The missile has a range of more than 1,250 kilometers (780 miles), meaning it could be used to hit naval bases on the east coast of China and Russia.
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Japan also intends to maintain sufficient stocks of missiles over the coming decade, including those it has manufactured itself, with ranges long enough to hit military installations in its three nuclear-armed neighbors, which are the focus of Tokyo’s concern stand.
With its new strategy, the government is also considering revising defense guidelines for its military cooperation with its only formal contractor, the United States, according to Kyodo News, citing government sources. Kishida could raise the issue during a visit to the US that the government plans to organize next month, the agency said.
According to the documents, Japan will maintain its “exclusively defensive” stance and ban on nuclear weapons.
Nonetheless, China has made clear to Japan its objections to the wording in the new documents, saying Beijing is committed to maintaining peace and stability.
“The Japanese side is ignoring facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a news conference on Wednesday. “Cheering up the ‘China threat’ to find an excuse for their military build-up is doomed to fail.”
Kishida has already announced plans to increase defense spending by about 60% to 43 trillion yen ($315 billion) over the next five years. After disputes over funding for the move, his ruling Liberal Democratic Party wants to agree on a plan to raise taxes, Kyodo News said, but will avoid setting a date for a move that could likely be unpopular with the public.
There are also plans to increase the Coast Guard’s budget by 40%, Kyodo News reported Friday.
In comparison, the South Korean government plans to increase its defense spending to more than 70 trillion won ($53 billion) annually by 2026. China has allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Defense equipment transfer rules will also be reviewed as part of the strategy as Japan embarks on a three-way project with the UK and Italy to develop a next-generation stealth fighter jet and seeks to support its domestic defense industry.
Other points included in the documents are:
Creation of a new cybersecurity policy oversight organization
Reinforcement of the Japanese Coast Guard
Build infrastructure based on the needs of the Self Defense Forces and the Coast Guard
promoting economic security
public-private cooperation to promote defense transfers; Ensuring a strong defense production base by 2027
Significant increase in cyber and space defense personnel; no increase in total SDF staff, currently 247,000
–With the support of Sangmi Cha.
(Updates with Coast Guard budget in paragraph 14. An earlier version of the story corrected the Tomahawk missile manufacturer.)
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