On Friday, Japan approved its biggest military buildup since the second world war, due to growing concerns over China’s military and North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
Japan will double its defense spending from 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2%, which will make it the world’s third biggest military spender after the US and China.
Japan will upgrade its missile defense, buying 500 US-made Tomahawk missiles and deploy over 1,000 long-range cruise missiles able to reach North Korea and China.
Japan is expected to triple the number of military units in its southern islands and arm them with weapons to intercept ballistic missiles.
The Japanese constitution, drawn up by the US after the second world war, renounces war and its military, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, is strictly limited to a defensive role.
But seven decades of pacifism has left Japan ill-equipped to respond to present-day security threats posed by China and North Korea.
