Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan unveils record defence budget amid regional security fears
Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution, which was set after World War II, outlaws war as a means to settle international conflicts. It also states that the country does not maintain armed forces even though it holds Self-Defense Forces, whose annual budget is larger than the one of Russia. In practice, Japan has not owned any weapons that could attack other states. Also, the defense budget has been limited to 1% of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. But because of the rising tensions and pressures from China and North Korea, the Japanese government recently has decided to break these self-imposed limitations. Japan will equip itself with guided missiles and other weapons that could counterstrike any hostile states. Accordingly, its defense spending will increase to around 2% of the GDP, the same target level as the NATO states. The question is if these counterstrike capabilities will deter any foreign aggression to its territories, including the disputed islands and remote territories near Taiwan. What if Japan fired missiles at mainland China? Can the fast-aging and population-shrinking country really afford the budget and forces?
Read the article and think if arms deter armed conflict.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/23/japan-unveils-record-defence-budget-amid-regional-security-fears
Japan unveils record defence budget amid regional security fears
Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution, which was set after World War II, outlaws war as a means to settle international conflicts. It also states that the country does not maintain armed forces even though it holds Self-Defense Forces, whose annual budget is larger than the one of Russia. In practice, Japan has not owned any weapons that could attack other states. Also, the defense budget has been limited to 1% of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. But because of the rising tensions and pressures from China and North Korea, the Japanese government recently has decided to break these self-imposed limitations. Japan will equip itself with guided missiles and other weapons that could counterstrike any hostile states. Accordingly, its defense spending will increase to around 2% of the GDP, the same target level as the NATO states. The question is if these counterstrike capabilities will deter any foreign aggression to its territories, including the disputed islands and remote territories near Taiwan. What if Japan fired missiles at mainland China? Can the fast-aging and population-shrinking country really afford the budget and forces?
Read the article and think if arms deter armed conflict.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/23/japan-unveils-record-defence-budget-amid-regional-security-fears
No comments:
Post a Comment