Better Safe than Sorry: Japan’s Military Spending
Tags: Japan, Military History, International Relations, Military Budget, Asia

The world is a dangerous place. Zombie movies see to it that kids who won’t listen to their mothers learn this lesson as early as possible. Even if its not the kids but grown-ups and non-human entities like states, understand quite well that this world is really a dangerous place. If you do not bully, you will get bullied. If you do not protect yourself from predators, you will get eaten. When law of the land is no longer being accepted by one party, it turns into law of the jungle. And the law of jungle is very aptly described by Matthew McConaughey in his 2019 movie The Gentlemen “When the lion’s hungry, he eats”. So, it serves you very well if you have taken measures for your protection when there is no body around you to protect you. Only the fit shall survive.

The definition of fitness varies. If you are sitting for a job test, then only those who have prepared themselves for it will be able to get through. They will be deemed fit for the job. The rest shall be relegated to the column of “rejected” or “not fit”. In the same manner, states when it comes to security have to protect themselves from internal as well as external threats. Pakistan knows this quite well as having fought the civil war against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, at a huge cost in terms of lives lost and to its economy. So, if you want to have peace, then prepare for war. If you are not prepared for it than you might find yourself, someday, waking up to an enemy at the gates.

Military supremacy and preparedness has been constant feature of great world powers. English naval supremacy established after their success against the Spanish armada in the English channel, ensured the protection of its overseas imperial and colonial interests for the next three hundred years. You dared not mess with the English ships. And so, the English had their 500 days of summer. Soon after this realization in the European mainland countries started to take hold that in order to protect their interest and challenge the English supremacy, they must have their own boats. Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II started on its own program of building a strong navy so as to be able to challenge the English navy and win against it in war. Dreadnoughts and U-boats. The result was the great conflagration of world-war 1. The arms race continued well into the twentieth century, causing another world-war and the introduction of nuclear weapons. Enter the nuclear weapons and the casualty was Japan. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only forced Japan to accept the Potsdam declaration but also started the occupation of Japan by the United States for Nation building reasons.

General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of the Allied forces, was tasked to re-establish the political and economic system of Japan on democratic and market-oriented principles, respectively. MacArthur prepared a constitution for Japan which went into effect in 1947 after its promulgation by the Japanese emperor Hirohito. The constitution of Japan, as prepared by MacArthur, was to have profound implications for post-war Japan. Article 9 of the constitution prevented Japan from building its armed forces and took away its right to declare war. This was under American occupation as Japan had accepted the Potsdam declaration. In 1951, a peace treaty was signed between United States and Japan which formally ended the occupation and returned Japan to its full sovereignty under the same constitution. A bilateral peace treaty was also signed between the two countries which practically outsourced the defense of Japan to United States. United States opened many military bases in Japan not only to protect Japan but also its own maritime interests in the Far East.

Over the years, it was debated whether Japan should revise its post-war constitution so as to have the right of self-defense. There wasn’t felt much need as the United States was there to protect it. Moreover, there wasn’t any country strong enough to challenge the interests of the United States in the Far East. Economically, Japan did very well, thanks initially to the Korean war. Today Japan is one of the most developed countries in the worlds with very high standards of living. But the problem is that America lies on the other side of the Pacific and it may not be able to stay in Japan for all time to come. So, Japan has to think for itself. Four years of Trump at the helm in United States have made it crystal clear that as long as there is something to gain democracy will be the buzzword. As soon as the profit vanishes, anything would do.

On Monday, Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga approved a military budget which dwarfs all the previous budgets. It stands at a whooping $51.7bn. This much money will be spent on varied projects. They include the development of a stealth jet fighter to be ready for service in 2030s. In addition, money will also be spent on long-range anti-ship missiles, the hallmarks of modern military superiority. Six F-35 will be purchased from America. Warships for modern warfare have also been included the list. Although this level of military spending is not new in Japan as previous governments have also spent on military buildup. But the increase in military spending is telling. Japan has a coming reckoning with two other countries in the region. China and North Korea. United States launched air raids on North Korea during the Korean war from bases located in Japan. No wonder, Kim Jong Un loves his ballistic missiles. Parts of China were also over-run by Japan sometime in the twentieth century. In 2019 China spent $261bn its military while Japan spent $47.6bn. India, too, is a huge military spender. In 2019 India spent $71.1bn on its military. On the whole Global Military Expenditures saw the greatest increases in 2019 reaching a mind blowing $1917bn.

The changing ways of Japan and its investments in state-of-art military technology are an explanation unto themselves. Japan is preparing itself for a world where United States is no longer the guarantor of its security or of international peace and security, for that matter. There are too many pariah states to look out for. United States can not be everywhere at all the times. It has its own affairs to look after to. Japan is certainly is not on its top priority list. Japanese know this well. They are going to produce a splendid stealth jetfighter with the most elegant design and sleek outlook. I am certainly waiting for it to come to fruition. The world is a dangerous place. Carry a Bazooka so that nobody messes with you. Japan would prefer to be safe than sorry at the hands of Kim Jong Un and China.