General Yoshida warned that the Japan Self-Defense Forces are not capable of protecting the country with current resources, so the defense budget needs to be increased.
"We cannot maintain Japan's security with the current capabilities. That is why we decided to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP and enhance the necessary capabilities," General Yoshihide Yoshida, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Japan, said in an interview on August 29.
Yoshida made the comment in response to a question about whether the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are capable of defending the country. However, he also pointed out that the SDF's problems are being overcome, especially through a sharp increase in defense spending and the purchase of advanced weapons systems.
According to General Yoshida, he wants the public to clearly understand the security environment the country is facing, saying that Japan is "on the front line" in dealing with unilateral actions that change the status quo by force in the Indo- Pacific region.
"Concerns about our defense capabilities are growing as people see provocations from North Korea and China. Opinion polls show that many people support increased defense spending, as well as Japan's possession of counterattack capabilities," Yoshida said.
General Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Photo: X/JapanJointStaff
He said Japan needed to develop an extended deterrence capability that could attack targets with missiles and enhance its interception capabilities. "We also need more shelters to minimize damage from missile attacks and protect people," General Yoshida stressed.
The US government recently approved a $104 million deal to sell air-launched land-attack missiles to Japan. Tokyo has ordered 50 JASSM-ER missiles, which can be launched from the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-15 fighters and other fighter jets.
General Yoshida admitted that the biggest challenge facing Japan's military is its shrinking population, which has led to a decline in the number of young men of military age. Japan's total population fell by about 750,000 people last year.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida late last year set a target of increasing the defense budget over the next five years to 43 trillion yen ($294 billion), 1.5 times the previous level, as Tokyo seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities to deal with security threats in the region.
Huyen Le (According to SCMP )
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