Japan considers largest military spend since WWII to combat China

Japan is setting up a new strategy team to coordinate policies in China and analyse Beijing’s movements.

The foreign ministry says the team will examine China’s plans in the medium to long term.

It follows last week’s visit to Japan by the US President.

The creation of the new team comes as President Xi Jinping is expected to maintain his helm of the ruling Communist Party, and as tensions between the US and China intensify.

Japan is considering doubling its arms spending to acquire first strike capability.

Japan has the third largest GDP in the world, though its military spending is far lower than China’s.

The country has had an unofficial policy since World War Two to spend no more than 1 per cent of its GDP on defence.

Article nine of Japan’s constitution, authored by US occupation forces after the second world war, renounces war and forbids the country from using force to settle international disputes.

Japan’s location places it in an increasingly volatile security environment, flanked by China to its south, nuclear-armed North Korea to the west and Russia to its north. 

Experts say the world’s third-largest economy is reevaluating its approach to deterrence and showcasing itself as a reliable partner on the world stage.