Tokyo's defense modernization ambitions are striking.
The government is seeking to end a policy that has restricted the capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces to a bare minimum for decades and replace it with one that will permit active defense by allowing "counterstrike" measures as well as collective self-defense. Japan aims to do more to promote regional security, alone and in cooperation with its ally, the United States, as well as other regional partners.
To effectuate these changes, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to double the country’s defense budget within five years. It is an ambitious plan and some of the most important details, such as how it will be funded, have yet to be determined. Ultimately, however, this transformation depends on public support. The Japanese people must not only accept this new approach, but they must be prepared to make sacrifices — most immediately financial, but others may be required as well. That is why a recent spate of scandals that has engulfed the Ministry of Defense and the SDF make that critical objective harder to achieve.