A strong sense of crisis remains in the Japanese government over massive scandals involving the Defense Ministry, even after punishing a number of officials on Friday.
Some in the government and ruling coalition said that the scandals — including the inappropriate management of security secrets and benefit fraud by Maritime Self-Defense Force members — may have an impact on the debate over tax hikes that were proposed to finance the five-year defense spending boost through fiscal 2027.
"It's a critical situation in which our country's defense cannot tolerate any flaws," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters during his visit to the United States on Thursday. "I hope Defense Minister (Minoru Kihara) will do all he can to regain trust."
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