Advertisement
As regional tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fuel war fears, Japan on Friday unveiled its largest military build-up since World War Two with a $320 billion plan that will buy missiles capable of striking China and prepare it for sustained conflict.
Based on current budgets, the expansive, five-year plan will elevate Japan to the position of third-largest military spender in the world, behind the United States and China.
The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is concerned that Russia has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack Taiwan, endangering the nearby Japanese islands, disrupting the flow of advanced semiconductors, and possibly blocking sea lanes that transport Middle Eastern oil.
Advertisement