Tokyo, Aug 31 (Agency) The Japanese Defense Ministry has requested a record 5.4 trillion yen (over $49 billion) for fiscal year 2022, which begins on April 1, while the country’s total federal budget could exceed 111 trillion yen (about $1.01 trillion), the Kyodo news agency reports. The defense ministry’s budget for 2022 will be 2.6 percent greater than the record 5.3 trillion yen allocated in the initial budget for fiscal 2021.
At the same time, if Japan’s total budget for fiscal 2022 exceeds $1.01 trillion, next year will become the fourth year in a row when the country’s budget surpasses the 100 trillion yen mark (excluding additional packages), Kyodo said on Tuesday. Japan’s defense ministry has asked for 130.0 billion yen to acquire more F-35 advanced stealth fighter jets. Another 10.2 billion yen were requested for transport ships “to support remote island defense operations,” Kyodo said, specifying that the islands in question are the disputed Senkaku Islands.
The military budget for 2022 could surpass 5.4 trillion yen, since the requested initial sum does not include outlays linked to hosting US military bases and the costs of upgrading 70 F-15 fighter jets. Since 1990 (excluding the year of 2010) Japan’s military spending has not exceeded one percent of the GDP. However, the country’s annual defense budget has been steadily increasing in the past nine years.