|
In
the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an increasingly
tense situation in Asia with missile tests from North Korea and
a more assertive China, Kishida has vowed to strengthen defence
fundamentally in five years.
The issue is expected to be a focus of public attention leading
up to the election for Japan's less powerful upper house of
parliament on July 10. Campaigning starts on Wednesday.
Asked at a debate of political party leaders how much he plans
to raise Japan's defence spending and how he will finance the
rise, Kishida said that there was no numerical target - and that
the issue didn't come up in discussions with U.S. President Joe
Biden last month.
"We never had talks with numerical targets in our minds (at the
summit meeting) ... What I've been proposing is to build the
necessary defence capability in five years, while keeping a
close eye on what's happening in other countries," Kishida said.
"As we prepare to acquire what's necessary, it will become clear
how big a (defence) budget we need, and then, depending on the
size of the budget, we will need to think about how to finance
it."
The yen's slide in recent weeks to 20-year lows against the
dollar, boosting the cost of imported goods, will put upward
pressure on procurement costs.
Although Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected
to do well in the election, recent public opinion surveys have
shown Kishida's support edging lower, with most voters
particularly unhappy about rising prices.
Since no further national elections need to be held for the next
three years, a substantial win for the LDP would free Kishida's
hand to tackle policy issues ranging from a weak yen to revising
the war-renouncing constitution.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Elaine Lies; Writing by
Elaine Lies; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
