What is driving the urgency?
Experts point to two broad drivers: A more threatening security environment, as well as uncertainty over US support.
Japan’s ties with China, North Korea and Russia have worsened in recent years, with frequent military activity near its territory. Japanese jets scrambled 595 times in the year to Mar 31, including 366 responses to Chinese aircraft and 214 to Russian planes.
“Japan lives in a neighbourhood where three states with nuclear weapons publicly criticise Japan and threaten its security and national sovereignty,” Dr Hornung told CNA.
“Every time China commits a provocative act against regional powers or North Korea launches a missile near Japan, the Japanese public becomes more supportive of a more robust self-defence force.”
At the same time, global conflicts – from Ukraine to the Middle East – have underscored the risks of over-reliance on allies.
Yuki Tatsumi, senior director at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security, pointed to a changing security world order.
“When we are entering an era in which the US demands all of its allies to do more for their own defence, Japan’s attempt to do so is absolutely legitimate,” she told CNA.
Tokyo’s efforts to boost its defence capabilities are not only accepted, but also welcomed by a vast majority of countries globally, she added.
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