Japan’s Ministry of Defense requested a record 8.54 trillion yen, or $59 billion, for its Fiscal Year 2025 defense budget.
The new budget request includes bolstering standoff weapons capabilities, establishing a constellation of satellites for detection and tracking threats, continuing funding of two under-construction Aegis guided-missile destroyers, more ships for transporting troops and supplies around Japanese islands, deploying a mobile radar to Kita Daito island, and reorganizing the JMSDF’s surface fleet.
Unlike the Department of Defense’s fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, Japan’s runs from April through March.
Japan’s defense budget has been steadily increasing since 2012. FY 2023 was the first year of the country’s five-year Defense Capability Buildup Program, and, since then, the budget increased annually by more than a trillion yen or $6.89 billion.
The National Security Strategy in 2022 also called for Japan to achieve a target of 2 percent of GDP to be spent on defense by FY 2027 with the FY 2025 budget request coming in at 1.6 percent. The targeted GDP goal though has been complicated by the weakening yen, with the increased defense spending translating to less than was envisaged in 2022 when Japan formulated the Defense Capability Buildup Program.
The budget requested 970 billion yen or $6.68 billion for standoff defense capabilities to “thoroughly defend Japan’s territory” and “drastically strengthen our stand-off defense capabilities to deal with ships and landing forces invading Japan, including its islands,” according to the MOD budget request document.
Development and operationalization of a new satellite constellation for target detection and tracking capabilities necessary for standoff defense is one of the new items requested for in this category, with the MOD asking for 323.2 billion yen ($2.24 billion) with construction and launches in stages to begin at the end of FY 2025 and a planned operational date of the end of FY2027.
Other new items that the MOD noted as part of its budget request in this category are the procurement of ship-launched improved Type 12 anti-ship missiles for 17 billion yen ($117.84 million) and submarine-launched guided missiles for 3 billion yen ($20.79 million).
Ongoing programs include 18 billion yen ($124.7 million) for two sets of ground equipment for the ground-launched version of the Type 12 anti-ship missiles, 30 billion yen ($208 million) for high-velocity glide missiles for island defense and 256.9 billion yen ($1.78 billion) for the expansion of manufacturing capabilities for hypersonic guided missiles.
The amounts requested for foreign-manufactured standoff weapons are 16.1 billion yen ($111.7 million) for the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) to be equipped on the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A Lightning II fighters, 2.6 billion yen ($18 million) for the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) to equip the JASDF’s upgraded F-15 fleet and 1.8 billion yen ($12.48 million) for adding Tomahawk cruise missile launch capabilities to Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ships.
Naval programs and acquisitions in the FY 2025 budget request include 80.8 billion yen ($560.6 billion) for the two Aegis System Equipped Vessels destroyers under construction with the funds requested for preparations for tests and trials. The first destroyer will be delivered in FY 2027 with the second in FY 2028.
Also requested was 3.3 billion yen ($22.8 million) for a study into a replacement ship for the four Kongo-class Aegis destroyers, which is expected to be decommissioned in the 2030s.
The budget request also includes 314 billion yen ($2.17 billion) for three FFM frigates, a larger and improved version of the Mogami-class frigate able to carry long-range missiles and enhanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities as well as 116.1 billion yen ($804 million) for a ninth Taigei class submarine with a new manpower saving system.
The budget request ask for eight F-35As and three F-35Bs for the JASDF, as well as two improved capabilities P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft for the JMSDF.
The MOD requested funding for its plan to deploy a mobile radar on Kita Daito Island in the Philippine Sea with 7.9 billion yen ($54 million) requested for the TPS-102 mobile radar system to be deployed there and 6.5 billion yen ($44.3 billion) for the base and facilities for the radar.
The FY2025 budget request also includes the Japanese military’s reorganization plans including the plan to combine the JMSDF’s warships, minesweepers and amphibious ships into a single command. Currently, Japan’s surface ships are divided into the Fleet Escort Force comprising of four escort flotillas, each headed by one of the JMSDF’s big deck destroyer helicopter carriers. Each flotilla has two escort squadrons. Five more escort squadrons are each tied to a specific naval district while the minesweepers and amphibious ships are grouped together into the Mine Warfare Group. Both the Fleet Escort Force and Mine Warfare Group reporting independently to JMSDF Fleet Command. Separately the JMSDF’s five Hayabusa fast attack craft and coastal minesweepers operate as local district forces split among the JMSDF’s five naval districts.
The planned reorganization combines the Fleet Escort Force and Mine Warfare Group into the tentatively named Surface Fleet command, which would report to JMSDF Fleet Command. Within the Surface Fleet Command will be three surface battle groups, the Amphibious Mine Warfare Force and the Patrol Defense Group.
