By Daniel Leussink and Tim Kelly
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan wants to drastically increase defence spending “within the next five years” it said on Tuesday in an annual economic policy document that for the first time mentioned both a time frame for the expenditure and concern about threats faced by Taiwan.
Neither the five-year period or the reference to the democratic, independent island that China considers as part of its territory, had figured in a draft of the document last week. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
Japan and the United States “emphasized the importance and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and a peaceful resolution of any problems on both sides,” the document said in a footnote that was a reference to a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo last month.
The policy roadmap, Kishida’s first since taking office in October, serves as a blueprint for the next fiscal year’s budget though any major increase in military outlays would stretch Japan’s already-strained public finances.
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The mention of Taiwan comes after Biden said Washington was willing to use force to defend Taiwan against any attack by China.
Last year’s roadmap, in contrast said only that Japan would significantly increase defence spending as necessary, and did not mention Taiwan.
Alarm has grown in Tokyo about Taiwan, following an uptick in…
