Japan Vows to Bolster Defense Capabilities within 5 Years

Tokyo, June 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government Tuesday pledged to drastically strengthen the country's defense capabilities within five years, citing an increasingly challenging security situation such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The government made the pledge in its annual basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines, the first under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October.

The guidelines did not mention a target year for achieving a primary budget surplus, previously set for fiscal 2025, which ends in March 2026.

"We'll work out detailed measures to proceed with the guidelines after this summer's House of Councillors election," Kishida told officials.

The government also adopted an action plan to promote Kishida's "new capitalism" economic initiative. The plan calls for intensive investment in personnel, startups, science and technology, and green and digital to put the economy on a new growth path.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]