Hegseth calls for early implementation of Japan's defence budget increase

U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Wednesday urged Japan to move swiftly on its plan to raise defence spending but said he had not made any specific requests regarding the scale of the increase during talks with his Japanese counterpart.

Hegseth's remarks came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told visiting U.S. President Donald Trump that she was determined to strengthen Japan’s defence capabilities and increase its military budget.

“It’s an important step forward, and we hope it will be implemented and believe it will be as soon as possible,” Hegseth said at a joint press conference with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi following their meeting in Tokyo.

In her policy address last week, Takaichi said the government intends to raise defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year ending March 2026, up from around 1.8% at present. This would be two years ahead of schedule, though still below NATO’s new target of 5% of GDP by 2035.

Asked whether he had proposed a specific numerical goal, Hegseth replied, “There were certainly no demands placed on Japan from the United States.”

In June, the Financial Times reported that Japan had cancelled an annual high-level meeting with Washington after the Trump administration pressed Tokyo to spend more on defence.

Japan views its current security environment as the most serious since the end of the Second World War, citing regional instability driven by China’s military expansion and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

“Make no mistake — our alliance is vital to deterring Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth said.

Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. forces stationed overseas, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary unit, and numerous fighter jets.

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