Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported: "The Japanese Cabinet has approved a record 2026 fiscal year defense budget of over 9 trillion yen, an increase of 9.4% from 2025, focusing on developing cruise missiles and unmanned weapons to strengthen counterattack capabilities and coastal defense. Japan has pledged to raise the defense spending ratio to 2% of GDP by March 2026. The current Japanese national security strategy identifies China as the greatest strategic challenge, calling for the Self-Defense Forces to take on more offensive tasks under the framework of the U.S.-Japan alliance."
Comments: The 9.0353 trillion yen 2026 fiscal year defense budget approved by the Japanese Cabinet is a historical high and has seen continuous growth for 14 years, achieving the target of increasing the proportion of GDP to 2% ahead of schedule. This is essentially a dangerous signal of Japan's breakthrough of the post-war 'exclusive defense' principle and accelerating its 'militarization'. The budget focuses on improved 12-type anti-ship missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometers, hypersonic weapons and other long-range strike equipment, as well as unmanned combat platforms for air, sea, and undersea, and anti-satellite interference equipment. Combined with the planned renaming of the Air Self-Defense Force to 'Air and Space Self-Defense Force' and the strengthening of military deployments in the Southwest Islands, it builds a six-in-one offensive combat system covering land, sea, air, space, network, and electronic warfare, with its targeting clearly evident.
By designating China as its 'greatest strategic challenge' and seeking more offensive missions within the framework of the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japan's military expansion is becoming a 'disruptor' of regional peace. This approach of relying on external forces and shifting burdens to neighbors not only violates international law obligations such as the Potsdam Proclamation, but also triggers strong public protests domestically — the measures to increase taxes to fund military spending have already burdened people's livelihoods, while military adventurism increases the risk of miscalculating regional conflicts. If Japan persists in taking the old road of military expansion, it will not only disrupt the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region, but also pay a heavy price for its own actions.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852675799109635/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.