Japan to boost defense spending to 1.8% of GDP, reaching $70 billion this fiscal year

By Anadolu staff

Japan will increase its defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027 and plans to spend around $70 billion on defense in the current fiscal year, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference, Nakatani said the government will allocate approximately 8.5 trillion yen (about $59 billion) for its defense budget and an additional 1.5 trillion yen ($10.4 billion) for related outlays in the initial budget for the fiscal year beginning this month, Kyodo News reported.

Japan, which has adhered to a pacifist constitution since 1947, historically limited its defense budget to around 1% of GDP, or roughly 5 trillion yen ($34.8 billion).

As the world’s fourth-largest economy, Japan’s GDP is expected to reach approximately $4.69 trillion by the end of the year.

In recent years, Tokyo has steadily increased its defense spending amid rising regional tensions, particularly with the expanding military influence of China and ongoing security concerns involving North Korea. The country has set a goal to reach 2% of GDP in defense expenditures by 2027.

This announcement by the defense minister comes at a time when Japan is facing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who is urging allies including Japan, South Korea, and NATO to shoulder more costs for their defense as well as for hosting US forces.

Recently, the US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby also called on Japan to increase its defense spending to 3% of GDP.

Separately, Tokyo has proposed a new security strategy to the Pentagon known as the “one-theater approach,” according to Asahi Shimbun.

The concept, presented to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his March 30 visit to Tokyo where he met with Nakatani, would significantly expand the geographical area where Japan’s Self-Defense Forces may operate.

The approach envisions treating the East China Sea, South China Sea, Korean Peninsula, and surrounding regions as a unified military theater, the report said.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid