Japan set to overhaul defence policy
Japan is expected to announce its biggest defence overhaul in decades this week, hiking spending, reshaping its military command and acquiring new missiles to tackle the threat from China.
The policies, to be outlined in three defence and security documents as soon as tomorrow, will reshape the defence landscape in a country whose post-war constitution does not even officially recognise the military.
"Fundamentally strengthening our defence capabilities is the most urgent challenge in this severe security environment," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the weekend.
"We will urgently ramp up our defence capabilities over the next five years."
The shift is the result of Tokyo's fears about China's growing military strength and regional posturing, as well as threats ranging from North Korean missile launches to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Key among the new policies is a pledge to boost spending to two percent of GDP by 2027 to bring Japan in line with Nato members.
That marks a significant increase from historic spending of around one percent, and has sparked criticism over how it will be financed.
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