The government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday approved a radical five-year defence spending programme worth $240 billion that will see the country get its first aircraft carriers since the Second World War. The decision to induct aircraft carriers and over a 100 new F-35 stealth fighters comes in the wake of Japan's worries about China's rise in the Pacific.
The Medium Term Defence Programme, approved by the Abe government, will require 27 trillion yen ($240 billion) from 2019; the allocation is nearly $17 billion more than the previous five-year programme.
The guidelines for the programme, which were revealed to the media, show the Abe government has decided to purchase up to 105 new US F-35A and F-35B stealth fighters. Japan already operates the F-35A, which its Air Self-Defense Force ordered in 2011. However, the new order includes up to 42 F-35B variants, which are capable of vertical take-off and landing and are suited for the small aircraft carriers that Japan is planning.
In addition to the stealth fighters, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force will modify two existing helicopter carriers—the Izumo and Kaga—to enable them to embark and deploy the F-35B.
The Izumo and Kaga—which, at a length of 248m, are as long as the aircraft carriers Japan operated during the Second World War—will require reinforcement of their flight decks to handle the heat of the F-35B's engines, in addition to other modifications.
The new guidelines also specify Japan will induct cruise missiles to hit enemy targets at greater distances than is possible now. While critics have opposed plans to induct offensive weapon systems such as aircraft carriers and cruise missiles, the proposals are in line with Abe's desire to revise Japan's US-drafted pacifist constitution, especially with the growing military heft of China and threats from North Korea. Japan's military spending has steadily risen since Abe assumed office in 2012.
(With agency inputs)