Japan to Upgrade Military

Japan to Upgrade Military

Tokyo. Japan announced on Tuesday that it will buy stealth fighters, drones and submarines as part of a splurge on military hardware that will beef up defense of far-flung islands amid a territorial row with China.

The cabinet of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to spend 24.7 trillion yen ($240 billion) between 2014 and 2019 in a strategic shift toward the south and west of the country — a 5 percent boost to the military budget over five years.

The shopping list is part of efforts by Abe to normalize the military in Japan, which has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II. Its well-equipped and highly professional services are limited to a narrowly defined self-defensive role.

It comes with the establishment of a US-style National Security Council that is expected to concentrate greater power in the hands of a smaller number of senior politicians and bureaucrats.

Fears are growing in Japan over the rising power of China, with the two countries embroiled in a dispute over the sovereignty of a group of islands in the East China Sea, and the perennial threat posed by an unpredictable North Korea.

New guidelines approved by the cabinet on Tuesday said Tokyo will introduce a “dynamic joint defense force,” intended to help air, land and sea forces work together more effectively.

Abe said the shift would allow Japan’s military to better shoulder its responsibilities on the global stage.

“We hope to make further contributions to the peace and stability of the international community through proactive pacifism,” he said. “This shows with transparency our country’s diplomatic and defence policies.”

Spending will be raised to 24.7 trillion yen over five years from April 2014, up from the present 23.5 trillion yen over the five years to March 2014, but the figure could be trimmed by up to 700 billion yen if the Defense Ministry can find savings and efficiencies.

Analysts noted that much of the kit Japan plans to purchase will replace obsolete equipment, but the reorientating in military priorities is evident.

“The guidelines underscore a clear shift of Japan’s major defense focus to the protection of its islands in the East China Sea,” said Hideshi Takesada, an expert on regional security at Takushoku University in Tokyo. “The guidelines show Japan’s readiness for practical defense if China’s bluff turns to be real military action,” Takesada said.

In Beijing, where memories of Japan’s brutal rampage last century refuse to fade, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was watching Tokyo carefully.

“Asian countries and the international community, including China, cannot but pay high attention and stay on high alert to Japan’s relevant moves,” she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/