US EditionJapan Approves Record $785B Budget
The 122.3 trillion yen budget includes a record 9.04 trillion yen for defense to meet a 2% of GDP target amid rising China-Taiwan tensions, government officials said.
- On Dec 26, Japan's Cabinet approved a record 122.3 trillion yen draft budget for the fiscal year starting in April 2026, combining expanded defence and social programmes.
- Faced with security and social pressures, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi increased defence spending to a record nine trillion yen and boosted social and industrial investment, including chips and AI funding.
- The defence budget highlights allocations for about $6.24 billion for stand-off defence, including $1.8 billion for upgraded surface-to-ship missiles and 100 billion yen for the SHIELD coastal defence system, according to the Defence Ministry.
- The budget also raises near-term fiscal burdens as financial markets drove down the yen and Japanese government bond yields rose, with 31.3 trillion yen debt-servicing costs projected after a 10.8% increase.
- The draft now heads to Parliament and must pass by March, while the government aims to meet the 2% of GDP defence target and secure stable chips and AI funding in regular budgets.
219 Articles
219 Articles
CGTN Poll: Over 80% of young people urge high vigilance against Japan's record-high defense budget
On December 26, the Japanese Cabinet approved a defense budget plan for fiscal year 2026, exceeding 9 trillion yen (around $58 billion). If the Japanese Diet passes the plan next year, Japan's defense spending will once again hit a record high. Following
Japan’s Cabinet Approves Record $64 Billion Defense Budget Amid Tensions With China
Japan’s cabinet on Dec. 26 approved a record $784 billion budget for the next fiscal year that includes all-time-high defense spending, underscoring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to accelerate military expansion amid rising regional tensions with China. The draft budget for the fiscal year beginning in April, which still requires parliamentary approval, sets defense outlays at about $64 billion, the largest in Japan’s history. The increas…
Japan’s Cabinet approves record defense budget, bets on drones for coastal defense
Japan's Cabinet on Friday signed off on the largest defense budget in the country's history, with a drone-based coastal defense system and an arsenal of long-range strike munitions front and center.
More than 122,000 billion yen, or 665 billion euros: the Japanese government approved on Friday 26 December a record budget for 2026. The increase is justified in particular by an increase in military spending in a context of increasing tensions with China and less assertive US support.
Japan has approved a record budget of 122,300 billion yen (about 665 billion euros) for the financial year to begin on 1 April 2026. Among these figures, nearly 49 billion euros will be dedicated to defence, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wishing to accelerate the country's military modernization in the face of the deterioration of relations with China. The Ministry of Defence has estimated that "Japan faces the most serious and complex secu…
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