Japan's Defence Ministry Seeks Record Budget of Nearly $50 Billion for Next Year, Reports Suggest

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese Defence Ministry has requested a record 5.4 trillion yen (over $49 billion) for fiscal year 2022, which begins on 1 April, while the country's total federal budget could exceed 111 trillion yen (about $1.01 trillion), the Kyodo news agency reports.

The Defence Ministry's budget for 2022 will be 2.6 percent greater than the record 5.3 trillion yen allocated in the initial budget for fiscal 2021.

At the same time, if Japan's total budget for fiscal 2022 exceeds $1.01 trillion, next year will be the fourth year in a row the country's budget surpasses the 100 trillion yen mark (excluding additional packages), Kyodo said on 31 August.

Japan's Defence Ministry has asked for 130.0 billion yen to acquire more advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets. Another 10.2 billion yen was requested for transport ships "to support remote island defense operations", Kyodo said, specifying that the islands in question are the disputed Senkaku Islands.

The military budget for 2022 could surpass 5.4 trillion yen, since the requested initial sum does not include outlays linked to hosting US military bases and the costs of upgrading 70 F-15 fighter jets.

Since 1990 (excluding 2010) Japan's military spending has not exceeded one percent of its GDP. However, the country's annual defence budget has steadily increased over the past nine years.