TOKYO (Realist English). Japan is considering a significant expansion of what qualifies as defense-related spending, potentially counting space, infrastructure, and cybersecurity initiatives from non-military government agencies toward its overall defense budget, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
The move, sources say, is intended to signal Tokyo’s determination to strengthen its defense posture amid rising security challenges, including China’s military assertiveness and North Korea’s missile program, while responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for Japan to assume a greater share of regional security responsibilities.
Ahead of her first in-person summit with Trump in late October, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to accelerate Japan’s target of raising defense and related spending to 2% of GDP — bringing it forward from fiscal 2027 to fiscal 2025. After their meeting in Tokyo, Takaichi said there were “no exchanges with numbers in mind,” though U.S. officials had reportedly urged Japan behind closed doors to push the figure closer to 3.5% of GDP.
Under the proposal, Japan’s definition of “defense-related expenditures” could broaden to include projects such as space and aviation development, energy facility protection, and critical infrastructure resilience, including transport and communications networks. Government sources added that shipbuilding, disaster prevention, and police programs to safeguard advanced technologies are also under consideration.
Japan’s defense spending for the current fiscal year amounts to 8.5 trillion yen ($55 billion), with an additional 1.5 trillion yen allocated to related initiatives such as research and development, public infrastructure, cybersecurity, international cooperation, and the Japan Coast Guard.
The plan represents an extension of Japan’s 2022 national security strategy, which marked a major policy shift for a country with a pacifist constitution. That strategy set a goal of increasing combined defense and related spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 — effectively doubling the traditional 1% cap maintained for decades.
Takaichi, who took office on October 21 and is known for her hawkish stance on national security, has pledged to update Japan’s core defense policy documents by the end of 2026.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reaffirmed this commitment during his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on October 29, saying Tokyo remains resolved to “continue expanding its defense capabilities and deepen cooperation with the United States.”
Japan’s five-year defense buildup plan currently allocates 43 trillion yen ($280 billion) through March 2028. The government is expected to present the expanded definition of defense-related spending for parliamentary approval early next year.
