A U.S. Department of Defense official expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding Japan's defense budget increase issue, according to a report by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on 19th.
The official told Nikkei, "The Japanese government has made very concerning statements about how the security environment has dramatically worsened," adding, "Yet saying there are constitutional restrictions limiting Japan's (support for the U.S.) to rear support is very strange."
On the other hand, regarding Korea, he said, "The regime and (the defense budget issue) are expected to progress." Nikkei pointed out that "Korea, Australia, Germany, and Canada are keeping pace with the Trump administration, while the Japanese government's response is slow."
Notably, this official emphasized regarding Japan's plan to increase its defense-related budget to 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fiscal year 2027 (April 2027 to March 2028) that "While defense expenditure has improved, it is clearly insufficient in the current security environment."
Japan's defense-related budget for 2025 is about 9.9 trillion yen (approximately 93 trillion won), which is 1.8% of GDP, while reports suggest the U.S. is demanding an increase to about 3.5%. The defense-related budget includes not only the budget of the Ministry of Defense but also research and development costs from other ministries.
The official referenced Germany's case, which changed its fundamental law (constitution) to effectively remove strict limits on the new liability ratio for defense expenditure, asserting, "If you seriously consider security, you should adapt accordingly and must do so."
He added, "Expecting Japan to fulfill its role for national defense and collective self-defense is not a one-time request."
Meanwhile, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense is finalizing plans to allocate a record-high budget of approximately 8.8 trillion yen (about 82.8 trillion won) for the 2026 budget.