Japan’s National Defence Programme

The Japanese government has agreed on a multi-billion defence procurement plan which was released on December 18, 2018. The defence plan seeks to buy a number of fighter jets; shipborne unmanned aircraft and submarines over the next five-years at a cost of $243 billion. The document, known as the National Defence Programme Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defence Plan, includes the purchase of 105 additional F-35 Lightning II JSFs, a VTOL UAS for its new multipurpose destroyers and 12 more Kawasaki P-1 maritime surveillance planes. The defence spending plan is also likely to boost Japan’s industry due to several projects being handled by local companies.