Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned of growing Chinese “coercion” in her first speech to parliament after the elections, and promised to overhaul defense strategy, ease restrictions on military exports and strengthen essential supply chains.
Takaichi’s four-month term was marked by a , after she claimed that she also threatened Japanese territory.
After turning a fragile majority into one, Takaichi outlined an agenda designed to combat what she considers one and its regional partners.
With more than two-thirds of seats now controlled by her ruling coalition, she faces little resistance to her plans.
“Japan faces the harshest and most complex security environment since World War II,” Takaichi said, pointing to China’s growing military activity, its closer security ties with Russia and North Korea’s growing nuclear missile capabilities.
She added that the government will review Japan’s three key security documents this year to draft a new defense strategy and accelerate the review of military export regulations to expand overseas sales and strengthen defense companies.
“China has intensified its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion in the East China Sea and South China Sea,” she told lawmakers.
Takaichi has accelerated a military expansion program starting in 2023 that will double Japan’s defense spending to 2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by the end of March, making it one of the world’s biggest military spenders despite its pacifist constitution.
She also announced plans for a national intelligence council, chaired by her, to consolidate information collected across multiple agencies, including the police and the Ministry of Defense.
Japan does not have foreign or domestic intelligence services like the CIA or British MI5.
In addition to security, Takaichi proposed a Japanese version of CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) to analyze foreign investments in sensitive sectors and stated that rules governing land purchases by foreigners would be revised.
She promised to strengthen supply chains to reduce dependence on “specific countries” and work with allies to secure critical materials, including rare earths, around Minamitori, a remote Pacific island.
Takaichi also promised to speed up .
“A nation that does not face challenges has no future,” she said in her closing remarks. “A policy that seeks only to protect cannot inspire hope.”
