Latest news with #DefenseBuildupProgram
Asahi Shimbun
6 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan offers to purchase U.S. defense items in negotiations
Ryosei Akazawa, right, minister in charge of economic revitalization, shakes hands with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ahead of tariff negotiations in Washington on May 1. Bessent is accompanied by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, third from right, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. (Pool) Japan is using fighter jets and cruise missiles as potential bargaining chips in negotiations over U.S. tariffs, telling the United States that it will buy trillions of yen worth of U.S. defense equipment over several years. According to government sources, the overall amount of planned purchases was presented to the U.S. side during tariff negotiations that started in April following discussions within the government. A large part of defense equipment covered by the plan are items that the government already decided to source from the United States over five years through fiscal 2027 under the Defense Buildup Program, which was established at the end of 2022, the sources said. The program calls for procurement of Tomahawk cruise missiles, F-35A fighter jets and other U.S. defense equipment items in phases over the five-year period. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said national security issues should not be linked with tariff negotiations. But U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about the country's trade deficit of about 10 trillion yen ($69 billion) with Japan. A government official said it is important to show Trump how much Japan will buy from the United States by the numbers. Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization, met with Ishiba on May 29 before flying to the United States for a fourth round of tariff negotiations with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior U.S. administration officials. Akazawa told reporters after the meeting that national defense, tariffs and trade policies should not be lumped together for negotiations because 'different logic and standards apply to each.' Still, he suggested that Japan's purchases of U.S. defense equipment, which are expected to help reduce the bilateral trade imbalance, might have a role to play in Japan-U.S. negotiations. During Trump's first presidency, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to buy 105 additional F-35 fighter jets from the United States in the midst of bilateral trade negotiations. (This article was written by Taro Ono and Mizuki Sato.)
Japan Today
05-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Panel weighs need to update ¥43 tril Japan defense buildup plan
File photo taken in February 2024 shows a panel of experts under the Japanese Defense Ministry tasked to discuss ways to reinforce Japan's defense capabilities holding its first meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. A panel of experts under the Japanese Defense Ministry is considering a proposal to revise the current defense buildup plan, which allocates 43 trillion yen in spending over five years through March 2028, sources close to the matter said Sunday, as inflation drives up the cost of defense equipment. The panel, led by Sadayuki Sakakibara, a former chief of the Japan Business Federation, the biggest business lobby in the country, will submit a report on its discussions regarding the need to beef up the country's defense capabilities, possibly in the summer, for the government to consider. As Japan undertakes its most extensive defense buildup since World War II amid growing security challenges from China and North Korea, and with the public burdened by rising prices, it remains unclear whether any proposal to increase defense spending will gain support from the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The current Defense Buildup Program was adopted in December 2022 as part of three key security documents that marked a major shift in defense policy for a country that upholds a pacifist Constitution, including a plan to acquire strike capabilities that could potentially reach an adversary's territory. While Japan's annual defense budget had long been capped at around 1 percent of gross domestic product, the documents also set a goal of increasing defense-related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027. But some members of the panel, established in February 2024, have said the 43 trillion yen budget would be insufficient to fulfill the government's commitment to strengthen defense capabilities, citing rising costs of equipment due to inflation and a weak yen, according to the sources. Others emphasized the need to enhance Japan's ability to sustain combat operations by increasing ammunition stockpiles and accelerating the acquisition of drones and other advanced equipment amid a shifting security environment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing concerns over a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, they said. The Defense Buildup Program provides rough cost estimates for acquiring long-range missiles, aircraft and ships over the five years starting in fiscal 2023, as well as a projection of the Self-Defense Forces' posture around a decade later. To cover the 43 trillion yen in defense spending, the government has planned hikes in corporate, income and tobacco taxes. It is set to raise corporate and tobacco taxes starting in April 2026 but has yet to decide when to increase the income tax. A government source said seeking to further increase the defense budget will require "huge political energy," which is not something that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who leads a minority government, can withstand. A senior government official said serious discussions about revisiting the Defense Buildup Program are likely to take place after the House of Councillors election in the summer. Meanwhile, some within the Japanese government have called for additional defense equipment to be purchased through the United States' foreign military sales program, as U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he believes Japan should increase its defense spending. © KYODO
The Mainichi
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Panel weighs need to update 43 tril. yen Japan defense buildup plan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A panel of experts under the Japanese Defense Ministry is considering a proposal to revise the current defense buildup plan, which allocates 43 trillion yen ($297 billion) in spending over five years through March 2028, sources close to the matter said Sunday, as inflation drives up the cost of defense equipment. The panel, led by Sadayuki Sakakibara, a former chief of the Japan Business Federation, the biggest business lobby in the country, will submit a report on its discussions regarding the need to beef up the country's defense capabilities, possibly in the summer, for the government to consider. As Japan undertakes its most extensive defense buildup since World War II amid growing security challenges from China and North Korea, and with the public burdened by rising prices, it remains unclear whether any proposal to increase defense spending will gain support from the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The current Defense Buildup Program was adopted in December 2022 as part of three key security documents that marked a major shift in defense policy for a country that upholds a pacifist Constitution, including a plan to acquire strike capabilities that could potentially reach an adversary's territory. While Japan's annual defense budget had long been capped at around 1 percent of gross domestic product, the documents also set a goal of increasing defense-related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027. But some members of the panel, established in February 2024, have said the 43 trillion yen budget would be insufficient to fulfill the government's commitment to strengthen defense capabilities, citing rising costs of equipment due to inflation and a weak yen, according to the sources. Others emphasized the need to enhance Japan's ability to sustain combat operations by increasing ammunition stockpiles and accelerating the acquisition of drones and other advanced equipment amid a shifting security environment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing concerns over a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, they said. The Defense Buildup Program provides rough cost estimates for acquiring long-range missiles, aircraft and ships over the five years starting in fiscal 2023, as well as a projection of the Self-Defense Forces' posture around a decade later. To cover the 43 trillion yen in defense spending, the government has planned hikes in corporate, income and tobacco taxes. It is set to raise corporate and tobacco taxes starting in April 2026 but has yet to decide when to increase the income tax. A government source said seeking to further increase the defense budget will require "huge political energy," which is not something that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who leads a minority government, can withstand. A senior government official said serious discussions about revisiting the Defense Buildup Program are likely to take place after the House of Councillors election in the summer. Meanwhile, some within the Japanese government have called for additional defense equipment to be purchased through the United States' foreign military sales program, as U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he believes Japan should increase its defense spending.
Japan Times
15-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan begins work on naval patrol vessels to boost surveillance
Japan has begun construction work on the first four of a planned fleet of 12 next-generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF). Equipped with state-of-the-art systems, the new ships will not only allow Tokyo to step up surveillance and monitoring of its waters, but also let it do so with far smaller crews, taking into account the service's manpower issues. The Defense Ministry revealed in a recent press publication that the Japan Marine United Corp. held a keel-laying ceremony in February for the service's first four ships of the type in Yokohama after ¥35.7 billion ($249 million) were allocated in fiscal 2023, amounting to around ¥9 billion per ship. The first two OPVs are scheduled to enter the water in November while the other two will do so next March. All four are slated for delivery to the MSDF in March 2027. 'Japan is surrounded by a vast sea area, including territorial waters and exclusive economic zones — the sixth-largest in the world — and the Maritime Self-Defense Force conducts around-the-clock surveillance of ships navigating around Hokkaido, the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and other areas,' the ministry said, adding that the new OPVs are meant to help strengthen these activities and ensure the safety of maritime traffic. In its Defense Buildup Program released in late 2022, the Defense Ministry also noted that the OPVs would conduct 'overseas deployment for security cooperation with other countries.' The new vessels will be based on a modular system, which enables customization that allows them to perform a variety of additional roles, including disaster relief. They will also be more capable than similar vessels through a combination of adaptability, sustainability and automation, according to the ministry's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA). For instance, the agency said that the 95-meter-long and 12-meter-wide ships will require fewer personnel — around 30 — and feature autonomous navigation systems, as well as advanced equipment for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The ships, which are said to be easy to maintain, will also have stealth features such as a low radar cross-section design and include a multipurpose hangar and deck space for modular payloads. They will be armed with a 30mm main gun and a standard displacement of approximately 1,920 tons, according to ATLA. The beginning of OPV construction comes amid a flurry of activity by Russian but especially Chinese military and coast guard vessels around Japan, particularly near the Senkaku Islands. These uninhabited islands in the East China Sea are administered by Tokyo but are also claimed by China, which maintains an almost permanent coast guard presence near the islets. But it's unlikely that the new OPVs would directly support the Japan Coast Guard's own presence around the Senkakus as this could prompt Beijing to also deploy its navy near the disputed islands. Rather, it's likely that they could be sent to patrol other parts of Japan's far-flung southwestern islands. China, which already fields the world's largest navy, has also been extending its reach far across the Pacific, conducting naval patrols as far as Australia. The volatile security situation in the region has prompted Japan to up its game and boost its own military capabilities, including by ramping up defense spending and adopting a tougher defense posture. Last year, Tokyo lodged a strong protest with Beijing after a Chinese Navy survey ship entered Japanese territorial waters off Kagoshima Prefecture — just days following the first foray into Japanese airspace by a Chinese military aircraft. The incident, along with an uptick in Chinese aerial deployments around Japanese airspace, served as another indication that Beijing is unlikely to stop testing Japan's surveillance and response capabilities.
