Japan plans to beef up its military with a wide-range of new arsenal to deal with Chinese national security threats.
The island nation plans to spend roughly $232 billion over the next five years on hardware it believes is capable of securing disputed islands in the South China Sea. The list of purchases includes “anti-missile destroyers, submarines, 52 amphibious vehicles, surveillance drones, U.S. fighter planes and 17 Boeing Osprey aircraft, capable of vertical take-off,” the BBC reported.
“China’s stance toward other countries and military moves, coupled with a lack of transparency regarding its military and national security policies, represent a concern to Japan and the wider international community and require close watch,” stated a national security document released by the Japan.
Japan’s post-World War II constitution limits what it can do militarily, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seeking ways to find ways to expand national priorities that would fall under the military’s purview. He has already established a National Security Council to address defense threats, the BBC reported.
Japan’s strategy for a bolstered national defense, approved by its cabinet, will result in a 2.6 percent increase in defense spending.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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