Japan plans to raise defense spending to 60 tln yen over next 5 years

TOKYO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government is considering a significant increase in defense spending over the next five years, with plans to raise the total defense budget for fiscal 2027 through 2031 to 60 trillion yen (about 376 billion U.S. dollars) when it revises the three key security documents, Kyodo News reported Friday, citing sources.

People gather around the parliament building to protest attempts of the government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to revise the country's pacifist constitution and to call for the protection of Article 9 in Tokyo, Japan, April 19, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

According to the report, spending focus will include large-scale procurement of drones, ammunition and missiles.

Japan's current three security documents, formulated at the end of 2022, call for increasing the country's total defense spending over the five years from fiscal 2023 to 2027 to about 43 trillion yen. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to revise the three documents by the end of this year.

Japan's defense budget has hit record highs for consecutive years, raising concerns across the country. Japanese citizens have held repeated rallies this year to protest the government's military buildup and oppose continued increases in defense spending as well as the resulting heavier burden on the public.

The Tokyo Shimbun has noted that Japan's ever-growing defense spending will crowd out budgets for people's livelihoods.