Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday inaugurated a 15-member expert panel tasked with reviewing the country’s security and defense policies, as tensions rise in the region involving China, North Korea and Russia, according to the Associated Press. The panel is expected to examine security and defense strategy alongside potential emergency scenarios and also assess defense budget and funding as it prepares recommendations for changes in the coming months.
Takaichi, who took office in October, positioned the review as part of an effort to accelerate Japan’s military buildup to deter regional threats. She said Japan needs to prioritize its defense strategy to further strengthen its military capability to better protect itself and survive prolonged, new forms of warfare, according to the AP report.
The AP reported that last week, Takaichi’s Cabinet scrapped restrictions on Japanese lethal weapons exports. The move was welcomed by the United States and other defense partners as a way to deepen military and industry cooperation, while critics including pacifists at home and China criticized it as deviating from Japan’s postwar self-defense only principle.
In remarks at a meeting at her office, Takaichi said, “The international situation has completely changed,” and added that the “relatively stable post-Cold War international order has become a thing of the past.” She argued that Japan should adapt to new forms of warfare, including the use of drones, and prepare for a long-term conflict, the AP said.
Takaichi also linked the panel’s work to lessons she said Japan should draw from recent conflicts. The AP reported that she said Japan needs to “learn the lesson” from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East and to adjust its approach accordingly.
The AP said the 15-member panel includes experts in diplomacy, defense and the economy. It will review Japan’s security and defense policies in light of possible emergency scenarios and look at the defense budget and funding before compiling recommendations.
Japan’s defense-spending target adopted in December 2022 calls for doubling spending to 2% of gross domestic product through 2027, the AP reported. The AP said Takaichi’s government has already reached that spending target and that the panel is expected to discuss whether Japan should increase military spending further.
Takaichi described the forthcoming revision of Japan’s defense policy as a crucial undertaking. The AP reported that she said, “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,” as the panel begins its review.