Japan to Sidestep Explicit 3.5% Defence Spending Target Despite US Pressure, Asahi Reports
TOKYO — Japan is set to stop short of explicitly adopting a defence spending target of 3.5 percent of GDP in a planned revision of its national security strategy later this year, despite repeated US calls on allies to meet that benchmark, the Asahi newspaper reported, citing multiple government sources. The government is instead leaning toward significantly increasing defence-related spending over the next five years, including broader security expenditures, and hopes a demonstrated commitment to strengthening military capabilities will appease Washington.
According to Asahi, the administration of US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Japan behind closed doors to raise defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP, describing the level as a global standard for allies. Japan's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Formally committing to such a target would pose a major fiscal challenge for Tokyo: defence spending at 3.5 percent of GDP would exceed 20 trillion yen (about $126.5 billion) annually, requiring substantial new funding sources and likely forcing politically sensitive tax increases, Asahi said. (GSM, based on Reuters reporting of the Asahi report)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 日本防卫省总部。Ministry of Defense headquarters, Tokyo. Photo by N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
