Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record defense budget plan exceeding

Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record defense budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen for the coming year

ByMARI YAMAGUCHI Associated PressDecember 25, 2025, 8:57 PMtension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country's military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule.

Takaichi’s government, under U.S. pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2% target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise the ongoing security and defense policy by December 2026 to further strengthen its military.

Japan has been bolstering its offensive capability with long-range missiles to attack enemy targets from a distance, a major break from its post-World War II principle limiting the use of force to own self-defense.

The current security strategy, adopted in 2022, names China as the country’s biggest strategic cha...

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