Buy F-35 Jets, Missiles To Secure Island Claimed By China, Japanese Ministry Of Defense Proposes IDR 697 Trillion

Japanese Ministry of Defense Office illustration, (Wikimedia Commons/VOA)

JAKARTA - Japan's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday submitted a budget of 5.4 trillion yen or about 49 billion US dollars, equivalent to Rp. 697.390.05 billion for the 2022 fiscal year.

According to Kyodo News Aug. 31, the budget fund is aimed at accelerating capacity building in new domains, promoting the development of new technologies to deal with China's growing military presence.

The demand would exceed the record 5.3 trillion yen allocated in the initial budget for the 2021 fiscal year starting in April, increasing for the tenth year in a row.

Interestingly, the budget does not include expenses related to hosting US military bases, which amount to about 200 billion yen per year.

The ministry said it also ignored the cost of upgrading 70 F-15 fighter jets. It aims to install Lockheed Martin's air-to-surface avoidance missiles, continuing negotiations with the United States to reduce the estimated total cost to 398.0 billion yen.

It increased research and development spending, up 114.1 billion yen to a record 325.7 billion yen, on potentially game-changing technologies, such as drones that use artificial intelligence, to support next-generation fighter jets, while continuing to upgrade capabilities in such new technologies.

United States Air Force F-35 fighter jet illustration. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The request for the expenditure will include systems for the electromagnetic spectrum, to shoot down drones and other aerial threats with high energy lasers or microwaves, the ministry said.

The ministry also proposed about 130 billion yen for more advanced stealth F-35 fighter jets, as well as 10.2 billion yen for small and medium-sized transport ships to support defense operations on a remote island in the southwest of the country.

The islands include the Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan and claimed by Beijing, called China Diaoyu, in the East China Sea. The missile unit will be stationed on Ishigaki Island to strengthen defense capabilities around the country's southwest island chain, the ministry said.

There is also a budget of 37.9 billion yen proposed by the Ministry of Defense, for the procurement of standoff missiles that will be launched from various platforms, including ships and aircraft.

In addition, the ministry also proposed a budget of 5.8 billion yen to modify the new ship's radar equipped with the Aegis missile intercept system, after scrapping plans to introduce the US-made Aegis Ashore land missile defense system.

However, apart from the above procurement, the ministry postponed the cost of building a ship equipped with the Aegis system because it had not yet decided on a detailed operation plan.