The Defense Agency had requested a 1.2 percent increase to ¥4.886 trillion, but the ¥4.814 trillion proposed by the Finance Ministry slashed expenditures on tanks and upgrades for F-15J fighters, as well as reducing Ground Self-Defense Force personnel, in line with last year's new defense guidelines.

Increased SDF spending is aimed at obtaining capabilities to deal with new threats -- the missile defense system being jointly developed with the United States, responses for nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, as well as sonar equipment to detect incursions by submarines and armed espionage vessels.

The proposed budget does not include outlays for measures related to U.S. military realignment, details of which will not be finalized until March, although Tokyo is still struggling to convince local communities to accept the realignment plans set out in an interim accord struck in October 2005.

For the deployment of SDF troops on a humanitarian aid mission in and around Iraq, extended for a year to Dec. 14, 2006, the draft budget earmarks ¥14.7 billion, about the same level as in the corresponding budget for the current fiscal year.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 31, 2005
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