The Cabinet of Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida approved a proposal for the nation’s 2022 defense budget on Friday—a budget that came with a record-breaking price tag of 5.4 trillion yen, or $47 billion. 

The proposed budget 1.1 percent increase over the 2021 budget comes as the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) has sought to strengthen its capabilities in response to increasing military activity by China. 

The budget proposal includes a 38 percent increase in spending on basic research and development, devoting 2.91 million yen, or roughly $2.5 billion, to research programs. It has also set aside 100 billion yen, or $870 million, towards the development of the F-X sixth-generation stealth fighter. The F-X is expected to complement and eventually replace Japan’s aging fleet of F-2 fighter aircraft. Both aircraft are manufactured by Mitsubishi, a Japanese zaibatsu conglomerate, but the F-2 is largely based on the American-designed F-16 Fighting Falcon. If implemented, then the F-X would be the first domestically-designed and built Japanese aircraft in four decades. 

In spite of this development, Japan clearly intends to continue to operate American aircraft far into the future. It allocated 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in its budget for the purchase of twelve F-35 stealth aircraft from American defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The F-35 jet’s short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities are essential for its operation within the JSDF’s navy, which possesses two helicopter carriers but no larger aircraft carriers. 

The 2022 budget proposal is the tenth consecutive annual increase in Japan’s defense spending, a series of increases brought about in part by American pressure on Tokyo to contribute more to East Asian security. The United States and Japan have each been alarmed by increasing Chinese pressure on Taiwan, the de facto independent island that China maintains is an integral part of its territory. The U.S. and Japanese militaries are thought to have drafted a contingency plan in the event of an emergency on Taiwan, which would likely see the joint participation of the two nations’ troops. 

The proposed budget is not yet finalized. Before it takes effect, it must be approved by both houses of the National Diet, Japan’s parliament.  

The Japanese announcement comes shortly after congressional approval of America’s 2022 defense budget. That budget has been set at $777 billion, making it 16.5 times larger than Japan’s. 

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters