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Opinion

Is Japan’s New Defense Budget Enough to Counter China’s Threats?

Is Japan’s New Defense Budget Enough to Counter China’s Threats?
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers rappel from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 24, 2017. Issei Kato/Reuters
Grant Newsham
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Commentary

An optimist would suggest that at least Japan realizes it needs more money for defense. However, beyond that it’s hard to be too positive. The request was in the 2.6 percent increase range. And this is before Ministry of Finance is done adjusting that amount. Japanese defense budgets have been woefully underfunded for decades.

Grant Newsham
Grant Newsham
Author
Grant Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine officer and a former U.S. diplomat and business executive with many years in the Asia/Pacific region. He is a senior fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (Tokyo) and Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the best selling book “When China Attacks: A Warning to America.”
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