Japan PM seeks higher defense budget

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told his cabinet to increase defense spending to two percent of gross domestic product by 2027, up from a longstanding level of around one percent.

Kishida announced the plan to his defense and finance ministers late Monday, as Japan overhauls its defense and security strategies to address growing threats from China as well as the changing geopolitical landscape after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In August, the defense ministry submitted a $40 billion budget request, but the figure will not be finalized until the government completes updates to several defense policies.