Japan expressed concern for national security threats in the Taiwan Strait in its annual defense white paper on Friday. The report comes a month before the defense ministry puts forward its budget request.
Right now Japan has the lowest defense spending among members of the G7. That group includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has pledged to double military spending to 2% of GDP. That’s more than China, according to one estimate, but less than the United States, Russia and South Korea.
The white paper published on Friday says Russia, China and North Korea are Japan’s greatest security concerns. It says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sets a precedent that threatens the security of neighboring Taiwan. The report says this challenge to international order is a global issue.
Polls have found that a majority of Japanese support an increase in defense spending. A survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun after the start of the Ukraine war found a record-high 64 percent of respondents believe Japan should strengthen its defensive capabilities.