Judging from the increase and specific distribution of defense expenditures this year, it can be seen that Japan is accelerating the improvement of its strategic offensive capability and constantly seeking to strengthen the so-called pre-emptive strategic strike force in order to enhance the rapid response capability of the Self-Defense Forces when they intervene in regional affairs. At the same time, space, network, unmanned aerial vehicles and other fields are regarded as an important pillar of the military balance between countries and the construction of Japan's defense forces, and this year it is a number of fields to simultaneously exert efforts to integrate force resources and form special forces.
Recently, the Japanese Diet and the Senate approved the 2022 fiscal budget, totaling about 107.6 trillion yen, of which defense-related expenses are 5.4 trillion yen. This time not only set a new high for 10 consecutive years, but also actually broke Japan's previous practice of "defense expenditure does not exceed 1% of GDP". Right-wing politicians, however, are not satisfied.
Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said he hopes to significantly increase defense spending in fiscal 2023. He hinted that it would be necessary to enhance Japan's deterrence by including the "ability to attack enemy bases." Kishi also used the example of Germany's proposal to increase the defense budget after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, arguing that "Japan must also consider it."
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also argued in his speech that Japan should ensure that the defense costs in the original budget for 2023 exceed those in 2022.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, since the decision of then Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki in 1976 that defense expenditure should not exceed 1% of GDP, successive Japanese cabinets have basically followed this practice. Beginning with shinzo Abe's cabinet, Japan's top brass has continued to create momentum for defense spending to break through the red line, repeatedly playing up peripheral security threats and trying to guide domestic public opinion.
Judging from the growth and distribution of defense expenditures, Japan is not far from completely getting rid of the restrictions of the post-war order and returning to militarism, and all parties should maintain great attention and vigilance.
Actively build momentum in cyberspace
Recently, the Japan Self-Defense Forces announced the expansion of the Cyber Defense Force. During the same period, the Japanese government successively introduced relevant plans to pave the way for its development of cyber warfare capabilities. According to reports, Japan's layout in this field is intended to seek the right to speak and dominate the emerging field space under the guise of "information and defense security".
According to the new version of the Japanese Cabinet Cybersecurity Strategy, from 2022 to 2024, Japan will regard "cybersecurity threats" as a national security threat. The new white paper of the Ministry of Defense of Japan begins with a special edition of "Challenges in the Cyber Field", proposing that military forces in this field will be developed.
Last month, the Japan Self-Defense Force's Cyber Defense Force was expanded to 290 people. Among them, the Electromagnetic and Network Field Section of the Ground Self-Defense Force Staff Headquarters was officially put into operation, which is mainly responsible for the network security and electromagnetic protection of the communication system alleged by the Ground Self-Defense Force. In addition, the former Land Corps System Communications Brigade's protection team was transferred to the command of the Cyber Defense Force "to gather and expand network security teams and resources."
A year ago, the Japan Self-Defense Forces established the 301st Electronic Warfare Squadron. As the first electronic warfare unit of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, the unit is equipped with a new network electronic warfare system. According to foreign media, the 301st Electronic Warfare Squadron is an important part of the Cyberspace Combat Force of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The Japanese side has given priority to the force in terms of policy, funds and technology, and it has now become the most modernly armed unit in the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
In addition to aggregating network communications, electromagnetic spectrum, and electronic warfare capabilities, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are also recruiting computer and network technology "masters" in the whole society. Japan began to hold the "Ministry of Defense Cyber Competition" to openly recruit professional and technical personnel. In addition, japan's Ministry of Defense has established positions such as "cybersecurity consultant" and "global strategic intelligence officer" to study cybersecurity-related business in the field of defense, investigate and analyze "false information" of foreign governments, social platforms and media, and enhance public opinion warfare and "information confrontation capabilities".
Unlike other branches of the armed forces, due to the particularity of the battlefield territory, the network warfare forces can circumvent the shackles of the "peace constitution" defense principle and practice offensive subjects in the name of defense. At present, the Japanese side has regularly set up network warfare content in large-scale military exercises. Japan actively participated in NATO's "Lock Shield" cyber defense exercise, which is the world's largest international real-combat cyber defense exercise. During the "Northern Blade-2022" exercise held in January, the Cyber Warfare Forces of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Naval Cyber Command practiced the ability to coordinate operations in the field of cyberspace and respond to cyber attacks.
At the same time as Japan, Japan has also strengthened cooperation and exchanges with other countries and organizations in cyberspace with the help of network technology resources. Japan and ASEAN have established a dialogue mechanism to carry out international network information forums "in the form of remote online", jointly established a global cyber security fund with Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia and other countries, and signed cooperation agreements with European and South American countries in infrastructure such as 5G base stations and submarine cables. Through such measures, Japan provides a "legal identity" for strengthening its ability to act in cyberspace.
It is worth noting that in the ministerial talks under the "quadrilateral framework" of the United States, Japan, India and Australia, Japan and other three parties focused on exchanging cooperation at the level of cyber security. In the ICT Policy Dialogue between Japan and the European Union, the two sides discussed 5G and 6G network technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other topics. A series of moves have exposed Japan's attempt to create a "standardized order" in the field of cyberspace and thus seize the right to speak in emerging fields.
Accelerate the pace of drone development
According to Japan's Sankei Shimbun, the use of drones in some recent armed conflicts has made the Japanese Ministry of Defense aware of the huge role of drones in the field of homeland defense and intelligence reconnaissance. Accordingly, Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to introduce UAV with attack capabilities this year and accelerate the pace of UAV development to build an unmanned combat system.
Previously, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces equipped with drones were only used for reconnaissance and surveillance, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense is currently exploring the conversion of drones into offensive weapons. It is reported that the Ministry of Defense has included an initial fund of 30 million yen in the defense budget for the new fiscal year to study the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles and other national models.
Japanese media quoted Keihide Yoshida, chief of staff of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (equivalent to chief of staff), as saying that the use of large-scale cheap drones for reconnaissance and strike has become an effective military means. Tomoyuki Furutani, a professor at Keio University, believes that the role of drones in modern warfare is on the rise, especially for Japan, which has a declining population.
Recently, the Japanese government has made frequent moves to strengthen the self-defense force's unmanned combat system. In mid-March, Japan's Self-Defense Forces deployed the U.S.-made Global Hawk drone for the first time. This type of unmanned aerial vehicle is a strategic-level long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Northrop Grumman Company for the US military, which can fly continuously for more than 30 hours, is equipped with radar, optoelectronics and electronic monitoring equipment, and has a strong reconnaissance capability.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force said in a statement that the introduction of the Global Hawk drone is aimed at gathering information from farther away from Japan and continuing aerial monitoring in times of tension. The aircraft helps strengthen the Combat Capabilities of the Air Self-Defense Force while enhancing interoperability between Japan and the United States. Japan's Ministry of Defense said it would deploy three Global Hawk drones at misawa base.
According to a recent report by Kyodo News Agency, the Japanese Coast Guard confirmed that it will introduce the MQ-9B UAV manufactured by the US General Atomic Corporation, which will begin testing in 2020, to strengthen surveillance of the surrounding waters. Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to use Hachinohe Airport in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture as a base, and is expected to be put into use in October this year.
According to the report, the introduction cost of the MQ-9B drone is about 4 billion yen, and the contract period is 3 years. In the future, Japan will continue to explore the possibility of introducing multiple drones of this type to expand the scope of surveillance. The MQ-9B drone is 11.7 meters long and 24 meters wide, has a range of 35 hours, and has a theoretical range of one week around Japan's exclusive economic zone. According to the Japan Coast Guard, the drone is equipped with cameras and radars that can confirm images in real time, and the test results confirm its safety and the accuracy of image transmission.
In addition to accelerating the introduction, Japan is also cooperating with Israel to seek the development of domestic high-altitude long-endurance drones. It is foreseeable that under the guidance of the new version of the defense outline, the Japanese Self-Defense Force will further strengthen the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in various fields, which deserves high vigilance.
High-profile formation of "space combat group"
Recently, the Japanese Ministry of Defense officially established a "Space Combat Group" at the Fuchu Base of the Tokyo Metropolitan Air Self-Defense Force, and Japanese Deputy Defense Minister Makoto Onigi presented the flag to the "Space Combat Group" and said that the functions of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in the field of space have been expanding and have entered a new stage. This indicates that the prototype of Japan's space combat force has been formed.
According to reports, the newly formed "Space Combat Group" has a strength of 70 people, which is formed by the merger of the first and second space combat teams and the newly formed space combat command post operation teams. The first and second space combat teams were both formed in 2020, each with about 20 people, mainly responsible for monitoring foreign satellites, tracking space junk and the use of space situational awareness systems. The space combat command post operation team was formed together with the "space combat group", with a scale of about 30 people, which is specifically responsible for the command and control of space combat forces and the use of equipment. At present, the "Space Combat Group" command is located at the Fuchu Base of the Air Self-Defense Force, which is still part of the Combat Sequence of the Air Self-Defense Force.
According to Japan's Sankei Shimbun, Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to expand the size of the "Space Combat Group" to 120 people within one year, and at the same time establish a space combat force responsible for investigating satellite signal interference. The newly formed "Space Combat Group" will greatly enhance the "defensive capabilities" of the Self-Defense Forces, making it more comfortable in dealing with external risks.
In fact, Japan's establishment of the "Space Combat Group" this time is quite ingenious. First of all, although the "space combat group" formed this time is not much, it is of obvious significance to form new arms. At present, the "Space Combat Group" has a strength of 70 people and belongs to the sequence of the Air Self-Defense Force, and has actually formed a structure of command and control unit, equipment unit, 2 combat units and 2 deployment sites, with the elements of independent construction and development. With the further expansion of forces, in the future, the "Space Combat Group" may break away from the Air Self-Defense Force and hatch new services.
Second, under the guise of defense, vigorously develop space technology and accumulate experience for its space operations. The "Space Combat Group" intends to rapidly develop its space combat capabilities under the guise of monitoring so-called foreign satellites and tracking space junk. In particular, Japan's vigorously developed space situational awareness system can be combined with medium- and long-range missiles to achieve the integrated combat capability of space-earth detection and combat.
Finally, hitchhiking and borrow the power of allies to improve space combat capabilities. The formation of the "Space Combat Group" can effectively dock and deal with related issues such as sharing space military intelligence, building a space situational awareness system, and skillfully using relevant combat equipment with the US military. In the future, Japan's "Space Combat Group" will certainly embark on the road of rapid expansion to support the so-called "cross-field operations" military concept that it has dominated in recent years.
In this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian pointed out that because modern Japanese militarism has a history of foreign aggression, Japan's military and security trends have always attracted the attention of its Asian neighbors. We have noticed that recently some political forces in Japan have taken advantage of the Ukrainian issue to deliberately play an external threat and attempt to strengthen the armed forces and expand their armed forces by fishing in muddy waters.
We would like to warn the Japanese side that the victorious achievements of the world anti-fascist war should be truly respected and observed. The Japanese side should profoundly reflect on history, draw lessons from history, respect the security concerns of its Asian neighbors, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and do more things conducive to promoting regional peace and stability instead of the opposite.