Japanese media revealed that the Japanese government is considering raising taxes to raise defense expenses

Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, October 17 (Reporters Li Ziyue and Chen Ze'an) According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported on the 17th, the Japanese government is considering further increasing corporate corporate taxes to raise funds for defense expenses that are expected to continue to expand. The media said the plan may trigger opposition from the economic community.

According to reports, the Japanese government is advancing the revision of the "Three Security Documents". Among them, the new round of "Defense Force Preparation Plan" covering the fiscal year 2027 to 2031 proposes to purchase large quantities of drones and increase ammunition and missile reserves to prepare for long-term operations. The report quoted a senior Japanese government figure as saying that if estimated according to the requirements of the Ministry of Defense, Japan's total defense expenditure in the next five years "may expand to 70 trillion to 80 trillion yen (1 US dollar is equivalent to 158 yen)."

The report quoted multiple relevant sources as saying that in the face of rising defense costs, the Japanese government is considering further increasing corporate corporate taxes to ensure stable financial resources. Kyodo News pointed out that the Japanese government also plans to adjust fiscal expenditures to raise defense funds, but there are uncertainties in these plans.

According to Japan's current "Three Security Documents", its total defense expenses from fiscal year 2023 to 2027 are approximately 43 trillion yen. The Japanese government originally planned to increase defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by fiscal year 2027, but after Sanae Takaichi became prime minister, he accelerated the increase in defense spending and achieved this goal ahead of schedule in fiscal year 2025. According to previous reports by Japanese media, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party proposed that the government further increase defense expenses when revising the “Three Security Documents” within the year. Related trends continue to cause widespread concern.