Japan’s Takaichi inaugurates panel to review defense policies

Japan launched a high-level security review on Monday as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks to bolster the nation’s defense capabilities amid growing regional threats from China, North Korea, and Russia.

Takaichi, who took office in October, inaugurated a panel of 15 experts in diplomacy, defense, and economics to reassess Japan’s security and defense policies. The review comes as Tokyo perceives an increasingly volatile security environment in East Asia and beyond.

“The international situation has completely changed,” Takaichi told officials at her office. “The relatively stable post-Cold War international order has become a thing of the past.”

The prime minister emphasized that Japan must learn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, particularly focusing on adapting to emerging warfare technologies like drone combat and preparing for potential long-term conflicts.

“As the world enters an era of turbulence and Japan faces many challenges, the upcoming revision is a crucial effort that affects Japan’s fate,” she added.

This security review represents the latest move in Japan’s significant shift away from its traditionally pacifist stance established after World War II. Just last week, Takaichi’s Cabinet removed longstanding restrictions on lethal weapons exports, a decision that received praise from the United States and other defense partners who view it as an opportunity to deepen military and industrial cooperation.

The weapons export policy change, however, has drawn criticism from pacifist groups within Japan and from China, which has accused Tokyo of abandoning its post-war commitment to self-defense principles. Beijing has repeatedly expressed concern about Japan’s military expansion, viewing it as potentially destabilizing for the region.

The expert panel will examine various emergency scenarios and review defense budget requirements before presenting recommendations for policy changes in the coming months. Under current policies adopted in December 2022, Japan committed to doubling its defense spending to approximately 43 trillion yen ($270 billion) by 2027, reaching 2% of the country’s GDP – a significant increase that aligned with NATO’s spending target for member states.

Takaichi’s government has already reached that spending benchmark, and analysts expect the panel may recommend further increases as regional tensions continue to rise.

Japan’s defense buildup comes amid China’s growing assertiveness in the East and South China Seas, including territorial disputes over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China claims as the Diaoyu Islands. North Korea’s ongoing missile tests, many of which have flown over Japanese territory or landed in waters near Japan, have further heightened security concerns in Tokyo.

Russia’s increased military activities near Japanese airspace and waters have also contributed to Japan’s security anxieties. The relationship between Tokyo and Moscow remains strained by an unresolved territorial dispute over four islands north of Hokkaido, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

Defense experts note that Japan’s military transformation represents the most significant shift in its security posture since the end of World War II. The country has gradually reinterpreted its pacifist constitution over recent decades, most notably with a 2014 cabinet decision that enabled limited collective self-defense operations with allies.

The security panel is expected to consider how Japan can further develop its defensive capabilities while maintaining its constitutional framework. Areas of focus likely include enhancing missile defense systems, cyber warfare capabilities, and space-based assets, as well as strengthening interoperability with U.S. forces and other security partners.