On Friday 16th, December 2022 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a $320 billion defence reform plan, which would make Japan the world’s third biggest military spender, after China and the United States. The country plans to bring its defence spending up to 2% of its GDP by 2027.
It is an unprecedented move, given that Article 9 of Japan’s post-war constitution forbids the country from having an army capable of waging war. So far, Japan has relied on its Self-Defense Forces for territorial defence.
The reasons behind this decision, the Prime Minister said, are “the various security challenges that we face” 1 , meaning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the threat perceived from China, which has not ruled out reunification with Taiwan by force, and North Korea.
by Fabio Maina
