TOKYO -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told his cabinet ministers to increase Japan's defense budget to around 2% of gross domestic product in the year starting April 2027.
Kishida gave those instructions to Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Monday, as part of Japan's move to expand its defense budget to meet new security challenges. The budget will cover funding for scientific research, cyber technology, infrastructure and an improvement of the Japan Coast Guard.
