Japan’s growing military might is not a threat

By Douglas F. Roberts, The Chicago Times

June 5, 2023

SINGAPORE – Japan reassures the world that its growing military might will not be used to threaten or conquer other nations.

“We do not seek rivalry or conflict,” Yasukazu Hamada, Japan’s Minister of Defense, said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense summit in Singapore along with 600 delegates from 49 countries.

Many nations throughout the Pacific still hold a grudge for the aggressive military actions Imperial Japan conducted before and during the Second World War.  In 1947, Japan adopted a constitution that renounces war, yet throughout the last half of the 20th century with the ever present threat of war with the Soviet Union, Japan was allowed to rebuild a modest military force for defensive purposes.  However, with the growing military threat of Communist China, Japan recently launched its largest military build-up since the war.  

“As a nation that generally desires peace, we aim to enhance our own and original deterrent capabilities and promote the resolution to differences in interest and opinions through dialogue,” Hamada said.

The most recent Japanese defense budget calls for the doubling of defense spending and is expected to reach 2% of gross domestic product by 2027.  For part of the budget, Japan plans to spend $1.55 billion on the purchase of US made Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of 1,000 miles and are capable of being launched from naval vessels.