Report: Will strengthen Japan’s naval and military capabilities

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to strengthen Japan’s naval and military capabilities, warning that countries must be prepared to confront aggressors, AFP reported.

Kishida also condemned the war in Ukraine and North Korea’s recent missile tests.

The leader’s remarks came at a time when Tokyo is developing security plans that could require doubling the country’s defense spending within five years. That would mean a dramatic change in Japan, where the pacifist constitution limits its military power.

He did not name China, but said that the national security environment surrounding our country is becoming increasingly serious, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

Kishida added that Japan will ensure transparency in its military spending. Japan will stick to our path as a pacifist country, as we have done since the end of (World War II), he said.