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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a press conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on Friday,December 16.Credit:AP

Fumio Kishida,the Japanese prime minister,said it was a “turning point in history” for the pacifist country,and a “new heading for Japan”.

The $US320 billion ($480 billion) plan will see Japan become the world’s third biggest military spender,behind the United States and China.

It is part of a wide-ranging national security strategy,the first since 2013,under which it will double defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027.

There are growing fears that China may attack Taiwan,threatening nearby Japanese islands,disrupting supplies of semiconductors,and affected imports of oil arriving from the Middle East.

In this image from 2018 provided by the US Navy,the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) fires a Tomahawk land attack missile.Credit:AP

Japan’s military is armed with missiles that can only fly a few hundred kilometres. Instead,it will buy a number,believed to be in the hundreds,of ship-launched,US-made Tomahawk missiles,which can fly almost 1600 kilometres and hit naval bases on the east coasts of China and Russia.

Tokyo will also extend the range of its ground-launched Type 12 anti-ship missiles over the next five years,and buy interceptor missiles,attack and reconnaissance drones,satellite communications equipment,F-35 stealth fighters,helicopters,submarines,ships and transport planes.

About $US7 billion will be spent on defending against possible Chinese cyber attacks,including setting up a 20,000-strong cyber unit.

Another $US7 billion will be invested in space capabilities,and $US6 billion on its development of new fighter jets with Britain and Italy.

Fumio Kishida gets into the cockpit of a US fighter jet during his visit to the USS Ronald Reagan,in Sagami Bay,southwest of Tokyo on November 6,2022.Credit:AP

Japan has already disclosed plans to develop its own hypersonic weapons in coming years.

In the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine,the US expressed concerns that Japan would have too little ammunition for any future lengthy conflict. Under the strategy it will build more than 100 munitions depots by 2035.

In response to the announcement,Wang Wenbin,the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman,said:“The Japanese side ignores facts.

“Hyping up the ‘China threat’ to find an excuse for its military build-up is doomed to fail.”

After the Second World War,Japan constitutionally renounced the right to wage offensive warfare. Its new strategy,outlined in three documents,ruled out pre-emptive strikes,and said Japan was still committed to an “exclusively defence-oriented policy”.

Tokyo will be able to carry out a “counterstrike” on three conditions:if Japan is attacked or an assault on an ally threatens its survival;if there is no other way to repel an attack;and the counterstrike must use minimum force.

Kishida said the counter-strike capability would be “indispensable” as a deterrent,and represented a “major change to Japan’s post-war security policy”. He added:“When threats become reality,can the self-defence force fully protect our country? Frankly speaking,the current is insufficient.”

The Telegraph,London

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