MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan’s Defense Ministry has requested one other record defense budget, with the agenda featuring naval vessels, F-35 fighter jets, hypersonic weapons development and armored vehicles.
The ministry announced Aug. 31 that it submitted a request for $52.9 billion to the Finance Ministry for the approaching fiscal yr, which starts April 1, 2024. The dollar figure continues a decade-long trend of record defense budgets as Japan continues its modernization drive within the face of North Korea’s missile threat and China’s growing military might.
The request, which was only published in Japanese, features acquisition efforts, research programs and upgrades for Japan’s self-defense forces across several domains of warfare. It’s now as much as the Finance Ministry to approve the budget.
At sea
Equipment requests for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force stands out on this yr’s budget request. In response to the document, the ministry wants $2.6 billion for a pair of Aegis system-equipped vessels to bolster ballistic missile defense capabilities.
The request also provides more information in regards to the two ships, which will likely be 190 meters (623 feet) long and displace 12,000 tons. They will likely be include 128 vertical launching system cells for ballistic missile interceptors, as wel as launchers for the indigenous Type 12 anti-ship, land-attack missile.
Construction of the primary ship will begin in 2024, with commissioning planned for 2027. The second vessel is to hitch the maritime service the next yr.
Japan will even start construction of a brand new class of frigates from 2024, with a request of $1.2 billion for 2 vessels. The 12 latest ships are to be based on the present Mogami class of frigates, in accordance with the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, and can incorporate lessons learned from the present Mogami class.
Plans include extending the ships’ length to 142 meters from 133 meters, reworking internal spaces, and equipping the ships with Type 12 missiles that may bring their displacement to 4,900 tons.
Missiles and hypersonic weapons
Japan is taking a multiprong approach to developing its standoff attack capabilities, with the budget requesting funds for continued research into the land-based, truck-launched Type 12 missile to extend its range so it could actually strike targets 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away. Japan can be working to expand the weapon’s launch methods to incorporate shipboard and aircraft-launched variants.
The U.S. ally can be continuing to speculate in the event of hypersonic weapons, with concurrent programs into developing a high-velocity glide projectile and a hypersonic missile.
It’s also continuing efforts to purchase standoff weapons from abroad, with the budget request looking for the Joint Strike Missile made by Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, and the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile made by U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin.
Aviation
Those two foreign missiles will equip the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters and upgraded Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle interceptors with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, respectively.
The budget request asked for $739.3 million to accumulate eight F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing variants in addition to $862.3 million for seven F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing versions.
Japan is on target to be the biggest F-35 operator outside the U.S., with plans to eventually acquire 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs. The country is currently taking deliveries of its F-35As and can receive its first F-35B in 2025. It was already contracted for 63 “A” models and an additional 20 “B” models prior to this latest budget request.
The Defense Ministry also wants funds to upgrade the service’s existing F-15J and F-2 fleets, with a request to upgrade eight F-2s for $83 million that may see them gain the power to fireside the air-launched Type 12 missile currently under development.
By land
The request can be seeks funding for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to accumulate more combat vehicles and self-propelled artillery systems.
The ministry is asking for $561 million to purchase 24 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, eight self-propelled mortars, and 19 Type 16 maneuver combat vehicles based on a typical chassis; 10 Type 10 foremost battle tanks; and 16 155mm Type 19 wheeled self-propelled howitzers.
It’s also asking for $215.4 million to obtain 28 AMV wheeled armored personnel carriers from Finland’s Patria, which won a competitive tender in December 2022.
Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.