Politics · 2026-11-02 · Afternoon briefing

Japan weighs doubling defence budget to over $500bn

Japan’s government and ruling coalition are considering a proposal to nearly double defence spending over five years, a push led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The plan would allocate 70 trillion to 80 trillion yen (US$457 billion to US$508 billion) for the period beginning in April 2027. This represents a 1.8-fold increase over the roughly 43 trillion yen budgeted for the current five-year plan, which began in 2023.

Much of the new expenditure is expected to fund the purchase of large numbers of drones. The move reflects a strategic shift towards intercepting long-range attacks, with officials studying tactics used in recent conflicts. The current build-up, formulated in 2022, already prioritised acquiring long-range missiles for counterstrike capabilities, alongside ammunition and spare parts.

This potential increase follows a previous significant expansion, when the current plan was raised from an initial 27.5 trillion yen to 43 trillion yen. The final figure for the next five-year period could still be adjusted as the government revises its security documents and compiles the budget towards the end of the year.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• Japan weighs US$500 billion defence spending plan: sources
• Japan weighs railway upgrades as part of defense spending push
• Japan plans US$508B defense budget
• Japan weighs US$500bil defence spending plan, sources say

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