US Defense Secretary "Warns Japan"
According to Japanese media including Jiji Press and the Nikkei, on July 7, it was reported that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave a speech in California on June 6, warning that allies who continue to "free-ride," fail to fulfill their responsibilities, and are negligent in collective defense will "pay a price." Jiji Press said that this statement is believed to clearly target allies including Japan.
The Nikkei reported that during his speech, Austin called on allied countries such as Japan to set a goal of increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP within several years. This proportion is a broad calculation standard that includes related expenditures; if calculated according to the current standard, it would be equivalent to 3.5% of GDP. He mentioned that South Korea has announced it will follow NATO's standards, raising defense spending to 3.5% of GDP.
Jiji Press reported that during his speech, Austin praised allies and partners such as South Korea, Israel, Poland, Germany, and Baltic states that have invested more in defense spending, emphasizing that these countries "will receive special benefits from the United States." At the same time, he warned: "Allies who fail to fulfill their responsibilities and are negligent in collective defense will eventually pay a price, as President Trump pointed out."
Austin also clearly stated that it is crucial for allies and partners to genuinely take on their responsibilities in collective defense, and the era of free-riding is over. He said that President Trump prefers "self-reliant nations," which should be the essence of partnerships, "not a dependent relationship."
The Sankei Shimbun reported on July 7 that although Austin did not directly name any country, he was clearly urging countries like Japan to further increase defense spending. However, the Nikkei reported that the government of Sanae Takeda recently approved a supplementary budget for fiscal year 2025, increasing defense spending in this fiscal year to 2% of GDP, reaching about 1.1 trillion yen. This move has caused concern among various sectors in Japan. Asahi Shimbun stated that the further deterioration of Japan's status as a peaceful nation is a strong concern. Professor Atsushi Kozuka of Yamaguchi University said that the Japanese government is accelerating its military expansion path, and defense spending exceeding 10 trillion yen is an extremely heavy burden on the Japanese economy, and this approach disregards people's livelihood. (Special Correspondent Xin Bin, Global Times)
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850838490334538/
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