China was already wary about Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, a renowned Beijing hawk, before she weighed in on one of its most sensitive issues: Taiwan.<\/p>\n
In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that her country’s military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.<\/p>\n
Under US pressure for a military increase, Japan’s finance ministry pledged to achieve the 2 per cent target by March, two years earlier than planned.<\/p>\n
Japan also plans to revise the ongoing security and defence policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military.<\/p>\n
Missiles and drones bolster coastal defence<\/p>\n
The new budget plan allocates more than 970 billion yen ($9.2 billion) to bolster Japan’s “stand-off” missile capability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It includes a 177 billion yen ($1.7 billion) purchase of domestically developed and upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles with a range of about 1,000 kilometres.<\/p>\n
The first batch of the Type-12 missiles will be deployed in Japan’s south-western Kumamoto prefecture by March, a year earlier than planned, as Japan accelerates its missile build-up in the region.<\/p>\n
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Japan’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles were tested during Talisman Sabre, a joint military event that 19 countries, including Australia, participated in. (Australian Department of Defence via Reuters)<\/p>\n
The current security strategy names China as the country’s biggest strategic challenge and calls for more offensive roles for Japan’s Self-Defense Force under its security alliance with the US.<\/p>\n
In part due to Japan’s aging and declining population and its struggles with an understaffed military, the government believes unmanned weapons are essential.<\/p>\n
To defend the coasts, Japan will spend 100 billion yen ($954 million) to deploy “massive” unmanned air, sea-surface and underwater drones for surveillance and defence under a system called “SHIELD” planned for March 2028, defence ministry officials said.<\/p>\n
For speedier deployment, Japan initially plans to rely mainly on imports, possibly from Turkey or Israel.<\/p>\n
Tension with China grows<\/p>\n
The budget announcement comes as Japan’s row with China escalate following Ms Takaichi’s November remark that Japanese military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.<\/p>\n