Beijing Concerned Over Japan's Increase in Defense Spending: Chinese Foreign Ministry

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Beijing has expressed concerns over Japan's decision to increase defense expenditure for the next fiscal year, saying that Tokyo "is overestimating" regional tensions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Japan allotted 5.4 trillion yen ($40.5 billion) for defense spending in the fiscal year ending in March 2023. The defense ministry reportedly plans to boost the budget for the next fiscal year that starts in April 2023 to a record-high of 5.595 trillion yen, while some experts believe that defense spending will approach 6.5 trillion yen.

"We express concern over the obvious and significant increase in Japan's defense spending," Wang told a briefing.

The spokesman also said that Japan "is overestimating the regional tensions to boost its own military strength," which might be "very dangerous."

The diplomat added that the move "forced" Japan's neighbors and the world to wonder whether the country would be able to stay committed to peaceful development.

Japan's defense budget will continue to grow as a result of the government's decision to increase the level of defense spending to 2% of the GDP by 2027, which is equal to about 11 trillion yen per year.

Over the years, there has been a debate over possible amendments to Article 9 of Japan's post-WWII constitution. Under this article, Japan renounces the right to have a standing army or engage in wars to resolve international conflicts. Although the country maintains the Japan Self-Defense Forces, their offensive potential has been very limited.