EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, October 4, 2025
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
EconomyLens.com
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Economy

Japan seeks record defence budget, to triple drone spending

David Peterson by David Peterson
August 29, 2025
in Economy
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
3
53
SHARES
666
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Japan in recent years has been shedding its strict pacifist stance, moving to obtain 'counterstrike' capabilities and doubling military spending to two percent of GDP. ©AFP

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s defence ministry is aiming for a major boost to its drone arsenal as part of another record spending request made Friday to deal with a “severely intensifying security environment.” Japan in recent years has been shedding its strict pacifist stance, moving to obtain “counterstrike” capabilities and doubling military spending to two percent of GDP.

Related

‘First of its kind’ power surge behind Iberia blackout: experts

US delays key jobs report due to government shutdown

UN-backed climate banking alliance ceases operations

US farmers hit by trade war to get ‘substantial’ aid: Treasury chief

Spain hosts record number of summer tourists

The defence ministry’s new budget request made on Friday for the coming fiscal year starting April 1, seen by AFP, is for 8.8 trillion yen ($59.9 billion). It surpasses the world’s fourth-largest economy’s previous record of 8.7 trillion yen, secured for this fiscal year ending in March 2026. Eighty years after World War II and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan’s constitution still limits its military capacity to ostensibly defensive measures.

But the new budget increase reflects the “severely intensifying security environment” around Japan, a defence ministry official told reporters in Tokyo on condition of anonymity.

– Drones –

The budget request asks to roughly triple spending on various types of unmanned vehicles to 313 billion yen. The ongoing war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022 has highlighted the destructive power of drones and their growing role in modern warfare. Under the plan unveiled Friday, Tokyo is eyeing the use of drones to strengthen a planned coastal defence system it dubs “SHIELD.”

In the worst-case scenario where Japan’s long-distance “standoff” missiles are bypassed by enemy troops, it is hoped SHIELD — Synchronised, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defence — could block any invasion nearer land, the official said. Japan is hoping that SHIELD will be completed by March 2028, with no details yet on which part of Japan’s coastline it will be linked to.

“There’s a need to catch up with significant changes in the way militaries fight,” the defence official said. During a visit to Istanbul this month, Defence Minister Gen Nakatani agreed to explore the possible purchase of Turkish drones, Japanese media reported.

Japan, which hosts some 54,000 US military personnel, is also coming under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration to beef up its defence capabilities. Washington and Tokyo are moving to make their forces more nimble in response to threats such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Japan is also looking to boost arms exports, and this month won a $6 billion order from the Australian navy for 11 frigates.

The budget request will now be vetted by the finance ministry, with the central government expected in the coming months to draw up a comprehensive budget proposal that is anticipated to be a record high. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily said the overall budget request is expected to be more than 122 trillion yen, a sharp increase from 117.6 trillion yen for the current year. Much of the money will cover elderly care and managing Japan’s colossal debts, which are among the biggest as a proportion of economic output among advanced economies.

© 2024 AFP

Tags: defenseJapanmilitary
Share21Tweet13Share4Pin5Send
Previous Post

US ends tariff exemption for small packages shipped globally

Next Post

Vandalism hobbles Nigeria’s mobile telephone services

David Peterson

David Peterson

Related Posts

Economy

G7 ministers to target those increasing Russia oil purchases

October 1, 2025
Economy

Supreme Court blocks Trump from immediately firing Fed governor

October 2, 2025
Economy

EU eyes higher steel tariffs, taking page from US

October 1, 2025
Economy

ECB chief says eurozone weathering Trump tariff storm

September 30, 2025
Economy

US tariffs on lumber imports set for October 14

October 1, 2025
Economy

Germany’s Lufthansa to slash 4,000 jobs as headwinds mount

September 29, 2025
Next Post

Vandalism hobbles Nigeria's mobile telephone services

Modi says India, Japan to 'shape the Asian century'

Lay off our eggs market, French producers tell Ukraine

Trump son hypes bitcoin on Hong Kong leg of Asia trip

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

September 30, 2024

Elon Musk’s X fights Australian watchdog over church stabbing posts

April 21, 2024

Women journalists bear the brunt of cyberbullying

April 22, 2024

France probes TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

May 6, 2024

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

79

Ghanaian finance ministry warns against fallout from anti-LGBTQ law

74

Shady bleaching jabs fuel health fears, scams in W. Africa

71

Stock markets waver, oil prices edge up

65

AI in an ‘industrial bubble’ but will benefit society: Bezos

October 3, 2025

Stocks rise on AI optimism, US rate-cut hopes

October 4, 2025

‘First of its kind’ power surge behind Iberia blackout: experts

October 4, 2025

US delays key jobs report due to government shutdown

October 3, 2025
EconomyLens Logo

We bring the world economy to you. Get the latest news and insights on the global economy, from trade and finance to technology and innovation.

Pages

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

Network

  • Coolinarco.com
  • CasualSelf.com
  • Fit.CasualSelf.com
  • Sport.CasualSelf.com
  • SportBeep.com
  • MachinaSphere.com
  • MagnifyPost.com
  • TodayAiNews.com
  • VideosArena.com
© 2025 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

© 2024 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.