LDP commission mulls stronger wording regarding China, Russia in defense documents

A Liberal Democratic Party commission plans to call for stronger wording to be used regarding Russia and China when the government revises three defense documents at the end of the year.

e documents to be revised are the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-term Defense Program.

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s military rise, the LDP Research Commission on Security led by former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has included the proposal in a dra of recommendations.

e current National Defense Program Guidelines state that China is “a serious security concern for the region including Japan and for the international community.” e guidelines also state that “Russia’s military activities are trending upward … Close attention therefore needs to be paid to its developments.”

In the dra recommendations, the LDP commission calls for China to be described as a threat to Japan’s security, as is the case with North Korea, and also calls for stronger wording regarding Russia.

e commission will recommend stipulating in the defense documents the possession of capabilities to destroy missile bases and other enemy facilities for self-defense purposes, and calls for wording that re ects the fact that such capabilities are an exercise of Japan’s right to self-defense.

It will also recommend renaming the National Defense Program Guidelines the “National Defense Strategy,” the same name the United States uses for a similar document. e commission has also proposed a new name for the Mid-term Defense Program, recommending exible and swi changes to the program in response to international circumstances.

The commission will recommend increasing defense spending, aiming for 2% or more of gross domestic product. The defense budget has increased for 10 consecutive years, with a record ¥5.4 trillion allocated in this year’s budget. However, that figure represents 0.957% of GDP. (April 13)