TOKYO (Dispatches) -- Japan on Friday unveiled its biggest military buildup since World War II with a $320 billion plan to buy missiles capable of striking China.
It “is my answer to the various security challenges that we face,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was quoted as saying, describing Japan and its people as being at a “turning point in history.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government expressed fears that an alleged attack by China could threaten nearby Japanese islands, disrupt supplies of advanced semiconductors and put a potential stranglehold on sea lanes that supply Middle East oil.
The government also said that in its five year plan, it would stockpile spare parts and other munitions, reinforce logistics, and develop cyber warfare capabilities.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the overhaul of Japan’s defense policy announced on Friday will “strengthen and modernize” the country’s military alliance with the United States.
China has repeatedly warned the U.S. against extending its military presence in Asia and the Pacific. Beijing says the United States’ military presence is a source of regional instability, reminding that Taiwan is an inevitable part of the Chinese territory and is an issue that is purely China’s internal affair, which won’t stand for any foreign interference.
Critics say the U.S. is raking in a huge fortune by profiteering from conflicts around the world, with American-owned arms manufacturers being among the biggest winners.
Major U.S. weapons manufacturers, namely Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, provide weapons to countries across the globe, making a great deal of money from all over the world by taking advantage of wars and conflicts.
According to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) global military spending passed $2 trillion in 2021.