The Jakarta Post
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsJapan considers doubling defense spending over next five years
If adopted, defence buildup spending for the five years from April 2027 would be set at 70 trillion to 80 trillion yen ($457 billion to $508 billion), up about 1.8 times from the roughly 43 trillion yen allocated under the current five-year plan, which began in fiscal 2023.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Honor rendered: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reviews a guard of honor on Saturday, May 2, 2026, during a welcoming ceremony at the Government Office in Hanoi. (AFP/Pool/Nhac Nguyen )
J
apan's government and ruling coalition are considering nearly doubling defence spending over the next five years as part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push to strengthen the country's military capabilities, according to two people familiar with the matter.
If adopted, defence buildup spending for the five years from April 2027 would be set at 70 trillion to 80 trillion yen ($457 billion to $508 billion), up about 1.8 times from the roughly 43 trillion yen allocated under the current five-year plan, which began in fiscal 2023.
The figure could still change as the government compiles the budget towards year-end and revises its three security-related documents. Japan's defence ministry said it had no comment at this point.
One of the people told Reuters the new spending is expected to fund purchases such as large numbers of drones. The same person said a weaker yen has pushed up the cost of defence equipment procurement.
The second person said the final figure could land in the mid-to-late 70 trillion yen range, but questioned whether such a sum would be enough given the security environment in East Asia, adding the final figure was subject to debate between the government and coalition partners.
Under the current buildup program formulated at the end of 2022, Japan sharply raised planned defence spending from an initial allocation of 27.5 trillion yen, with a focus on long-range missiles intended for counterstrike capabilities, as well as ammunition and spare parts for military equipment.
Japan is exploring structuring its defence around the interception of long range attacks by deploying drones, reflecting new methods of fighting seen in conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, government officials told Reuters in September.
Japan's defence ministry has said for some years that it is developing domestically-manufactured long-range missiles and is also prioritising budget allocations for drones, AI and space technologies to adapt to new forms of warfare.
