JAKARTA - Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said there was no target figure, tied to his pledge to substantially increase the country's defense spending.
PM Kishida is known to have pledged to fundamentally strengthen defenses within five years, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an increasingly tense situation in Asia with missile tests from North Korea and a more assertive China.
The issue is expected to be the focus of public attention ahead of Japan's less powerful upper house election on July 10. The campaign for this is planned to start on Wednesday.
Asked at a debate by political party leaders how much he planned to increase Japan's defense spending, as well as how he would finance that increase, Kishida said there was no target figure. And the issue did not come up in discussions with US President Joe Biden last month.
"We never spoke with a numerical target in mind (at the summit). What I propose is to build the necessary defense capabilities in five years, while keeping a close watch on what happens in other countries", said PM Kishida as quoted by Reuters on June 21.
"As we prepare to get what is needed it will become clear how much of a (defense) budget we need, and then, depending on the size of the budget, we will need to figure out how to finance it", he said.
To note, the yen's weakness in recent weeks to 20-year lows against the dollar, increasing the cost of imported goods, will put pressure on defense procurement costs.
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Although the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to succeed in the election, a recent public opinion survey showed Kishida's support was creeping lower, with most voters very unhappy about the price hike.
As no further national elections need to be held over the next three years, a substantial win for the LDP would free PM Kishida to tackle policy issues, from a weakening yen to revising the war-denial constitution.
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