Japan has unveiled its largest-ever defense budget request for fiscal year 2023, seeking over $40 billion (5.59 trillion yen) plus over 100 itemized requests to significantly enhance the readiness of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) to confront threats from North Korea, China and elsewhere. 

The itemized requests are based on the new capabilities and measures that accord with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s plans to “fundamentally reinforce” national defense capabilities within five years under the new National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and the Medium-Term Defense Program (MTDP) due by the end of the year. 

Thus