Japan Builds Up its Defense Posture Through Investments and Alliances
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pushing ahead with election manifesto promises to strengthen Japan's defense posture.
The Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Takaichi won a strong mandate in the Japanese parliamentary election held on February 8, winning 316 of the 465 seats in parliament and thus a two-thirds super majority necessary to make changes to the self-defense oriented constitution.
Nonetheless, the Prime Minister is proceeding in a methodical manner, commissioning urgent updates to Japan's National Defense Strategy so that a policy framework is in place before defense doctrine is changed and defense budgets are increased. Falling under the National Defense Strategy is a formal Defense Buildup Program, to provide forward planning guidance for the armed forces, industry and the Ministry of Finance, guidance which is reviewed and updated every five years. (This same approach is now being adopted in the United Kingdom, with its as yet still unpublished Defense Investment Programme.)
The overt aim of the prime minister's defense overhaul is to improve the security of the trade routes through the Western Pacific and beyond through which Japan's critical imports flow. Both Japan and China maintain crude oil reserves to cover about 150 days of consumption. But Japan imports 85% of its energy, whereas China generates 85% of its energy needs from internal resources, including nuclear, coal and wind power. Hence while China has the flexibility to adjust its energy generation sources when supply from the Gulf is restricted, Japan is highly dependent on drawdown from its stockpile.
Close allies of Japan in Asia have not had the foresight to build such large reserve capacity, and so aside from the need to draw from the stockpile for day to day consumption, Japan is also being approached for supply by other countries. Hence the current crisis in the Strait of Hormuz adds urgency to the Prime Minister's desire to strengthen its global deployment capability, which in due course may stretch to the Gulf area.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
Early deliveries under the new defense strategy are likely to be additional maritime surveillance aircraft and radar outposts on Japanese islands between Okinawa and Taiwan. Minister Koizumi has already announced that infrastructure to support a permanent presence of Chu-SAM (Type-03) medium-range air defense missiles on the Japanese island of Yonaguni will be in place by 2030. Field-deployed Chu-SAM systems are probably in place already, which have sufficient range to cover the eastern approaches to Taiwan.
Japan is also building its defense ties within the region. On April 18, the Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Melbourne to witness Australia's $14.25 billion contract signing with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for delivery of the first three of Australia's new Mogami-class general-purpose frigates. The first frigate is scheduled to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in 2029. The deal has been pitched within a wider bilateral defense and industrial cooperation strategy.