Japan’s cabinet has backed a record defence spending plan aimed at strengthening missile, drone and maritime capabilities, amid mounting tensions with China.By AP and News AgenciesPublished On 26 Dec 202526 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareJapan’s cabinet has approved a record defence budget proposal of more than 9 trillion yen ($58bn) for the coming fiscal year, reflecting a push to strengthen military and coastal defences amid rising tensions in East Asia.The plan still requires parliamentary approval by March and forms part of a broader 122.3 trillion yen ($784bn) national budget for the fiscal year beginning in April 2026. The increase marks the fourth year of Japan’s five-year effort to increase defence outlays to 2 percent of gross domestic product.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe spending increase comes as Tokyo voices growing concern over China. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that Japan’s military could become involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing – comments that caused outrage in Beijing, which hit back with diplomatic and economic measures against Japan.Under the five-year defence build-up plan, Japan is expected to become the world’s third-largest defence spender after the United States and China. The Finance Ministry said Japan is on track to meet the 2 percent target by March. Takaichi’s government has faced pressure from the US to hit that benchmark two years earlier than originally planned. Japan also intends to revise its existing security and defence policies by December 2026 to further enhance its military posture.In recent years, Japan has moved to strengthen its ability to strike targets at long range, a significant shift away from its post-World War II approach that limited the use of force strictly to self-defence. Advertisement The current national security strategy, adopted in 2022, identifies China as Japan’s most serious strategic challenge and calls for a more assertive role for the military within the framework of the country’s alliance with the US. The US Navy aircraft carrier USS …
