The US-Japan alliance is strengthening. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Takaichi, Japan plans to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by March next year.
The alliance between the United States and Japan is key to deterring Chinese military aggression, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Wednesday during talks in Tokyo. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi confirmed that his country will speed up the goal of increasing defense spending. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
The day before these statements, US President Donald Trump and the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met in person for the first time, and their conversation was dominated by the topic of security.
Increase in defense spending
Japan has pursued a pacifist policy for many years and is gradually adopting a more assertive military stance as its relations with nearby China deteriorate. “In order to be able to respond to unpredictable regional situations and maintain the security of our countries, we will continue to strengthen our alliance,” Hegseth said after the meeting with Koizumi.
Prime Minister Takaičiová announced last week that Japan will reach the goal of spending two percent of GDP on defense by March – that is, two years earlier than originally planned.
Strengthening defensive capabilities
The United States has about 60,000 troops on Japanese soil and is calling on Tokyo to increase its defense spending to five percent of GDP. This is the level to which NATO member states committed themselves in June.
Koizumi also confirmed Takaičiova’s promise. “Given the situation where missile capabilities are significantly increasing in the area around Japan, I consider it important to tirelessly strengthen our anti-missile defense capabilities,” he added.
