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China · Defense · Japan · Pacifism
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is leading Japan's decisive shift away from its 80-year pacifist constitution, significantly increasing defense spending to 2% of GDP and planning constitutional revisions, driven by escalating Chinese military power and concerns over U.S. security commitments in Asia.
This marks a profound departure from the postwar pacifism enshrined after the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which survivor Michiko Yagi, 87, described as Japan's moral compass. Takaichi, a security hawk, plans to beef up armed forces with new weapons, unshackle the defense industry, establish a clandestine intelligence service, and review the national-security strategy to confront what officials describe as the most fraught security environment modern Japan has faced.
The U.S. supports these plans, aiming for allies to shoulder more defense burdens, with Japan playing a critical role by hosting major American bases and fortifying its southwestern flank near Taiwan. China has reacted with economic coercion and accusations of rekindling militarism, alarmed by its wartime enemy's defensive buildup.
Public opinion polls show increasing support for higher defense spending, with a 2025 Japan Press Research Institute poll finding 54% in favor and a Sankei Shimbun poll reporting 62% support, particularly among younger cohorts. Takaichi has detailed plans for almost $60 billion in new defense outlays, focusing on drone-based systems and hypersonic glide weapons, as Japan responds to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and increasing regional instability.
