Japan’s progress to full rearmament, remaking it as a “normal country”, continues apace. Tokyo is simply pushing past Japan’s constitutional constraint – that it “forever renounces war as a sovereign right”.

One consequence of the country’s postwar “peace constitution” is that Japan is the world’s fourth-biggest economy, yet only the ninth-biggest defence spender, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Illustration: Andrew Dyson

The Japanese government is determined to change that, bringing its military muscle into line with its economic power. To recover its ability to use war as an instrument of national sovereignty.

In 2022, the government announced a plan to break through its self-imposed defence budget ceiling of 1 per cent of GDP, in place since 1958, to achieve security-related spending of 2 per cent of GDP over five years.

In the words of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, “Japan has made a major, huge decision to strengthen our defensive capability”.

And its latest step involves Australia. The three AUKUS nations have begun formal talks designed to explore bringing Japan into the group’s top-secret program for developing high-tech weaponry, known as Pillar Two of AUKUS. Tokyo is not a candidate to join Pillar One, the nuclear-propelled submarine effort.

In a joint statement published by the British government early on Tuesday, Britain, the US and Australia said: “Recognising Japan’s strengths and its close bilateral defence partnerships with all three countries, we are considering co-operation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.”

Joining the AUKUS weapons development effort “is quite a natural development”, according to Tokyo’s former ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami.

QOSHE - Japan is set to join AUKUS – it won’t be the last country to do so - Peter Hartcher
menu_open
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close
Aa Aa Aa
- A +

Japan is set to join AUKUS – it won’t be the last country to do so

10 1
09.04.2024

Japan’s progress to full rearmament, remaking it as a “normal country”, continues apace. Tokyo is simply pushing past Japan’s constitutional constraint – that it “forever renounces war as a sovereign right”.

One consequence of the country’s postwar “peace constitution” is that Japan is the world’s fourth-biggest economy, yet only the ninth-biggest defence spender, according to the International Institute for Strategic........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


Get it on Google Play