Beijing, 28 December 2022 (TDI): China has expressed concern about the significant increase in Japan’s defense budget, according to a Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said on Tuesday.
He urged the Japanese side to speak and act prudently in the military and security fields. These remarks were made at a regular press conference.
The Japanese government on 23 December agreed on a record defense budget of 6.8 trillion yen (about 51 billion U.S. dollars) for the fiscal year 2023.
Wang said Japan is playing up regional tensions between seeking military breakthroughs. This is considered dangerous and has aroused strong doubts among its Asian neighbors.
Moreover, it has also worried the international community. They fear Japan will not adhere to an exclusively defense-oriented policy and path of peaceful development.
Wang stated, “The Japanese side should seriously reflect on its history of aggression. They should speak and act prudently in the military and security fields to not lose further credit with its Asian neighbors and the international community”.
Japan Defence Budget
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet approved the budget of a total of 114.4 trillion yen ($863bn) from next April.
This was pushed up mainly by the large increase in military spending and higher social security costs for a fast-aging population.
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Under the plan, Tokyo will buy US long-range missiles capable of destroying enemy launch sites if attacked.
Furthermore, Japan aims to increase its cyber warfare capabilities. In this response, Beijing urged Tokyo to view their relationship as cooperative.
Additionally, Kishida said Japan’s defense budget would be 2% of GDP by 2027. Kishida also said, “Unfortunately, our neighbors are carrying out activities such as enhancement of nuclear capability.
Likewise, activities for the rapid military build-up and unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force is also being witnessed”.
However, the Prime Minister said, “In the next five years, to fundamentally reinforce our defense capabilities, we will implement a defense build-up programme worth 43 trillion yen.”
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