TOKYO — Japan’s draft defense budget reached a record 9.04 trillion yen, or about $58 billion, for fiscal 2026.
The figure exceeds the record initial budget of 8.7 trillion yen for fiscal 2025. It aligns with a defense buildup plan to allot 43 trillion yen to defense outlays from fiscal 2023 through 2027.
Under the budget, 100.1 billion yen is earmarked for the “Shield” layered coastal defense system. This project requires various aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles. Additionally, 1.1 billion yen is set aside to assess using long-endurance drones to prevent airspace violations.
An 18.3 trillion yen supplementary budget enacted Dec. 16 for the current fiscal year included 1.7 trillion yen for security and diplomacy. This allows Japan to bring defense-related spending to its target of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) within fiscal 2025, which is two years ahead of schedule.
For decades, Japan capped its annual defense budget at around one percent of GDP, or roughly five trillion yen. This reflected a postwar pacifist stance under the war-renouncing Constitution. However, the government set a goal in 2022 to gradually hike defense-related spending to two percent of GDP by fiscal 2027 despite widespread opposition. / XINHUA