Japan is undertaking a significant post-World War II military overhaul, backed by a record defense budget aimed at countering regional tensions. While this expansion, focusing on advanced technologies and increased spending, raises concerns among some Asian nations due to historical context, others, like the Philippines and Vietnam, view it as a positive development and are strengthening defense ties with Tokyo.
JAPAN: Japan is undergoing its biggest military transformation since World War II, with a record defence budget for 2026. Given the country’s history, this is making some countries in Asia nervous. Others, however, are greeting it as a welcome development.
The military buildup, with a focus on long-range standoff missiles, drone technology, and space security, is meant to counter regional tensions. Japan announced the aim to bring defence spending to 2% of its GDP by next year as part of a five-year, 43-trillion-yen plan. For this fiscal year, it allocated more than ¥9 trillion for defence.Tensions between China and Japan escalated last November due to disagreements over Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, and Japan sees as an important partner. In early November, Japan, in October noted that China was “worried” about Japan’s new prime minister, who had framed China consistently as a strategic threat.quoted three academics as saying that Japan’s military buildup is eroding trust in Southeast Asia, pointing to expanding arms exports, troop deployments abroad, and endeavours to revise the pacifist constitution. In the piece, Rommel Banlaoi, the director of the Philippines-China Studies Center at Diliman College and president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, writes, “Southeast Asian countries regard this problematic military recalibration with utter suspicion. The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, for example, all endured Japanese brutal occupation during WWII. Those painful experiences continue to shape perceptions of Japan’s military resurgence.”However, not everyone feels this way. In January, the Philippines and Japan signed two defence agreements, hailed as mutually welcome by the US’s two biggest allies in the region. Vietnam, which has strong partnerships with the US, Japan, and India, is increasing maritime security cooperation with Japan as well. Amid China’s moves in the South China Sea, Japan’s advances are seen to restore the balance of power. Thailand, meanwhile, another longstanding US ally, has been open to diversified partnerships, including with Japan. While not strategically aligned, Thailand has participated in regional defence initiatives involving Japan as well as industrial and military cooperation frameworks. /TISGSingapore’s digital government services have recently delivered another impressive performance. According to Adobe's 2025 Digital Government Index, Singapore achieved growth for the third consecuti...After four years in her role, a Singapore-based employee said she was suddenly placed on a PIP with little explanation. She turned to others online to ask if it’s something people actually recover ...document.addEventListener=>{ const trigger=document.getElementById; if { const observer=new IntersectionObserver=>{ entries.forEach { lazyLoader; // You should define lazyLoader elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve; // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe; } else { // Fallback setTimeout; } });
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