Recent data disclosed by the Japanese government reveals a substantial increase in military procurement. Driven by its defense buildup policy, the Ministry of Defense's procurement orders for machinery and equipment in fiscal 2025 reached nearly 2.69 trillion yen (about $16.8 billion), roughly three times the level of five years ago and accounting for almost half of all government procurement that year.
Orders for weapons systems such as surface-to-air missiles and aircraft have risen particularly sharply. This suggests that Japan's military-industrial complex is once again expanding. It is the inevitable result of right-wing forces systematically undermining the postwar peace framework and channeling support into the defense industry. This trend calls for heightened vigilance from peace advocates around the world, including the Japanese public.
The lessons of history remain relevant. Before World War II, Japan's military-industrial complex — an entrenched nexus of the military, monopoly conglomerates and defense industries — was deeply embedded in the national economy, captured policymaking and drove the war machine.
Industrial conglomerates such as Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo and Kawasaki promoted military expansion through political lobbying, the exploitation of colonial resources and forced labor, and capital accumulation built on immense human suffering. History shows that when institutional constraints are weakened, Japan's military-linked capital has tended toward expansionism, profit-seeking and the fomentation of war.
Consequently, the international community mandated through legally binding documents such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender that Japan be fully disarmed and prohibited from maintaining industries capable of waging war.
Japan's postwar Constitution further codified these limitations, imposing strict constraints on military force and the right to wage war while establishing an exclusively defense-oriented policy. This institutional framework was vital to separating the war machine from military capital, forming a cornerstone of prolonged peace in Northeast Asia and representing Japan's commitment to pacifism.
However, recent years have seen Japanese right-wing actors progressively dismantle these constraints. Through increased defense budgets, policy support and relaxed arms export regulations, the government has actively bolstered the defense industry. Senior officials have even promoted overseas arms sales, portraying the defense sector as a potential driver of economic growth. As a result, public resources that could have been directed toward improving livelihoods are increasingly flowing into military procurement, while production lines once used for home appliances are now manufacturing lethal weapons. This one-way flow of public resources into military capital exposes a serious distortion of public policy.
The growing collaboration between right-wing politicians and defense corporations is pushing Japanese security policy in a more assertive direction. Political figures, including Sanae Takaichi and other conservatives, frequently emphasize external threats to justify expanded military capabilities and a stronger military posture.
Driven by the pursuit of higher profits, Japan's defense contractors have steadily pushed authorities to break through postwar institutional constraints. From promoting constitutional revision and changes to the three security documents, to accelerating the deployment of medium- and long-range missiles, and then to easing restrictions on the export of lethal weapons and establishing a national intelligence council, a series of increasingly assertive measures has steadily crossed established red lines.
Japan's defense budget for fiscal 2026 has exceeded 9 trillion yen (about $55.8 billion), reaching a record high for the 14th consecutive year. Defense spending has risen to 2 percent of GDP and may increase further. From an exclusively defense-oriented policy to the pursuit of sustained combat capabilities, and from extending its operational reach overseas to expanding military activities into space, Japan appears to be moving further away from its postwar commitment to peace and down a dangerous path toward neo-militarism.
The danger of Japan's military-industrial complex lies not only in producing weapons but also in creating demand for them, and not only in supporting military expansion but also in actively driving it. Once such a self-reinforcing cycle of interests takes shape, it will push Japan further down an accelerating path of remilitarization. What is being undermined is the postwar peace order built on immense sacrifice and, ultimately, this course is destined to lead Japan itself toward catastrophe. The international community must remain highly vigilant, firmly contain Japan's neo-militarism and work together to safeguard regional peace, stability, and international fairness and justice.