Japan’s China-facing military build-up confronts labour, budget and political limits
Amid ambitious transformation driven by risk it could be drawn into a Taiwan conflict, Tokyo tackles tough obstacles at home, analysts say
The risk of a conflict over Taiwan is shaping Japanese defence planning, with Tokyo shoring up security at home and abroad for a potentially prolonged fight. But there are economic, demographic and political constraints on how far its military transformation can go. In the third of a three-part series, Gabriel Dominguez examines the various challenges confronting Japan in its bid to expand its military.
Yet, analysts say some of the toughest obstacles to the transformation may lie at home.
As Tokyo prepares to revise its strategic security documents by year’s end, its historic military build-up must contend with growing constraints.
These include a shrinking pool of military recruits, an ageing population, mounting fiscal pressures, an industrial base struggling to expand and lingering questions over how far the Japanese public would support the use of its ascendant military power.
