No. 1276 Fiscal 2023 Defense Budget and Revision on Three Documents
Formation of military containment network against China by the United States may bring more serious situation in the region than the armed conflict in Ukraine. Under these circumstances Japan is attempting to commit in the status quo through the increased military budget for the fiscal 2023, which relies on acquiring capabilities to attack enemy bases.
THE AMOUNT OF BUDGET AND QUALITY - TO PREPARE FOR WARS
An estimated defense budget for the fiscal 2023 is linked with revisions on the three documents; the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-term Defense Buildup Program. The requested sum for the military budget accounts 5.5947 trillion Yen, which exceeds that of the current fiscal. In addition, more than 100 items are presented without being shown the figures of sum.
A remembrance of Ex-Premier
Former prime minister Abe Shinzo reiterated to expand the budget ‘up to 6 trillion Yen for the 2023 fiscal’ in order to ‘raise to in five years over 2% of the GNP’. In this sense his parting gift will be concretely implemented.
It is not only a problem of monetary volume.
The government has lately altered its terminology; from ‘capabilities to attack enemy bases’ to ‘counter-attacking abilities’. That indicates a qualitative shift to attain such potential. The most characteristic point lies in a financial request to massively produce stand-off missiles. Reportedly, the government is planned to remodel the domestically-manufactured missiles of the Ground Self Defense Forces with a range of a hundred and several dozens of kilometers to a design with a range over 1,000 km, which can reach China within its working array.
The government’s plan is quite visible - to boost up failing military industries inside the country. The military authorities demand 27.2 billion Yen in the estimated budget plan only for development in order to produce massive units of stand-off missiles. They have incorporated their bids to introduce a scheme to reduce corporate taxes for relevant entities and assistance policies to export military equipment.
The government is well ready to pay to the military businesses from tax money, disregarding the economic performance of the country. When military needs go up on the uninterrupted basis, a war will be invited. At the same time IT industries will become extremely dangerous in the field to which the military brings profits.
Around the Taiwan areas tensions have been high due to the big-scale military maneuvers of China, triggered by the recent visit of a US legislative top leader, Speaker of the Congress Perosi, to the island. Some Japanese fishermen could not sail out from the Ishigaki Island because missiles had dropped in the fishing areas. At the Kadena US Base in Okinawa 22 fuel-tanker aircraft were stationed in order to cope with the situation.
Commercial media have been reporting with an assumption of Taiwan emergency; ‘it is hard to evacuate 100 thousand residents of the Sakishima Island and so it is necessary to build up underground shelters’, and ‘the US military staff plan to use bases of the Self Defense Forces of Japan in the Honshu Island for evacuation in case of complete destruction of the US bases in the Okinawa Island’.
Explosives storage in the Southwestern Islands?
Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu clearly told that fuels and ammunitions currently stored intensively in Hokkaido, the most northern island, would be transferred to warehouses to be built in the southwestern archipelago. It means the government will construct silos of explosive materials in the area where a possible armed attack may happen. His statement lacks consideration over the residents in the region, bringing anxieties and divisions among them.
In the recent governorship election in Okinawa, ex-governor Tamaki Denny was re-elected overwhelmingly, which was backed by the support of Okinawa’s electorate who have a strong will not to make the island a battleground again.
Let’s keep fighting against a war, learning from and acceding to the victory of Governor Tamaki in Okinawa.
23年度防衛予算は、年末に改定が予定される「３文書」（国家安全保障戦略、防衛計画大綱、中期防衛力整備計画）と一体だ。防衛費の概算要求は５兆５９４７億円で前年度を上回り、更に金額を示さない「事項要求」が１００以上もある。
地獄への置き土産
安倍晋三元首相は、防衛費を「５年でＧＤＰ比２％以上」のために「23年度は６兆円超に」と力説していた。元首相の地獄への置き土産が実行される。
額だけではない。「反撃能力」と言い換えた「敵基地攻撃能力」の保有へと、質が変化する。要求の要はスタンド・オフ・ミサイルの大量生産。陸上自衛隊の射程百数十㌔の国産ミサイルを、中国を射程に収める千㌔超に改造するという。
衰退してきた国内の防衛産業育成策も露骨だ。大量のスタンド・オフ・ミサイルを生産するため、開発経費だけで２７２億円を概算要求に計上。サイバー攻撃対策に投資した企業への法人税減税制度の導入、装備輸出品への支援等が概算要求に盛り込まれた。
防衛企業には、景気に関係なく税金で確実に支払われる。軍需拡大が常態化すると戦争を求めるようになる。ＩＴ産業なども軍需で潤う分野で極めて危険だ。
ペロシ米下院議長の台湾訪問に反発して行われた中国の大演習以降、台湾周辺は緊張が続く。中国のミサイルが漁場に落下し、石垣島などから出漁できなかった。米軍嘉手納基地には、空中給油機22機が駐機するなど準臨戦態勢だった。
メディアは台湾「有事」を想定し、「先島諸島住民10万人の避難は困難で、シェルター建設も必要だ」とか、「沖縄の米軍基地が壊滅する場合を想定し、米軍は避難先として本州の自衛隊基地を検討している」などと報じている。
南西諸島に火薬庫
浜田靖一防衛相は、北海道に集中する自衛隊の燃料や弾薬を南西諸島に保管庫を造って移すと表明した。攻撃が想定される地域に火薬庫を置くという。南西諸島住民を、深刻な不安と分断にさらす無神経な発言だ。
県知事選で玉城デ二ー氏が圧勝で再選した背後には、二度と沖縄を戦場にさせないという県民の強い願いがある。知事選勝利を戦争への道阻止につなげよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1276 Fiscal 2023 Defense Budget and Revision on Three Documents
Formation of military containment network against China by the United States may bring more serious situation in the region than the armed conflict in Ukraine. Under these circumstances Japan is attempting to commit in the status quo through the increased military budget for the fiscal 2023, which relies on acquiring capabilities to attack enemy bases.
THE AMOUNT OF BUDGET AND QUALITY - TO PREPARE FOR WARS
An estimated defense budget for the fiscal 2023 is linked with revisions on the three documents; the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-term Defense Buildup Program. The requested sum for the military budget accounts 5.5947 trillion Yen, which exceeds that of the current fiscal. In addition, more than 100 items are presented without being shown the figures of sum.
A remembrance of Ex-Premier
Former prime minister Abe Shinzo reiterated to expand the budget ‘up to 6 trillion Yen for the 2023 fiscal’ in order to ‘raise to in five years over 2% of the GNP’. In this sense his parting gift will be concretely implemented.
It is not only a problem of monetary volume.
The government has lately altered its terminology; from ‘capabilities to attack enemy bases’ to ‘counter-attacking abilities’. That indicates a qualitative shift to attain such potential. The most characteristic point lies in a financial request to massively produce stand-off missiles. Reportedly, the government is planned to remodel the domestically-manufactured missiles of the Ground Self Defense Forces with a range of a hundred and several dozens of kilometers to a design with a range over 1,000 km, which can reach China within its working array.
The government’s plan is quite visible - to boost up failing military industries inside the country. The military authorities demand 27.2 billion Yen in the estimated budget plan only for development in order to produce massive units of stand-off missiles. They have incorporated their bids to introduce a scheme to reduce corporate taxes for relevant entities and assistance policies to export military equipment.
The government is well ready to pay to the military businesses from tax money, disregarding the economic performance of the country. When military needs go up on the uninterrupted basis, a war will be invited. At the same time IT industries will become extremely dangerous in the field to which the military brings profits.
Around the Taiwan areas tensions have been high due to the big-scale military maneuvers of China, triggered by the recent visit of a US legislative top leader, Speaker of the Congress Perosi, to the island. Some Japanese fishermen could not sail out from the Ishigaki Island because missiles had dropped in the fishing areas. At the Kadena US Base in Okinawa 22 fuel-tanker aircraft were stationed in order to cope with the situation.
Commercial media have been reporting with an assumption of Taiwan emergency; ‘it is hard to evacuate 100 thousand residents of the Sakishima Island and so it is necessary to build up underground shelters’, and ‘the US military staff plan to use bases of the Self Defense Forces of Japan in the Honshu Island for evacuation in case of complete destruction of the US bases in the Okinawa Island’.
Explosives storage in the Southwestern Islands?
Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu clearly told that fuels and ammunitions currently stored intensively in Hokkaido, the most northern island, would be transferred to warehouses to be built in the southwestern archipelago. It means the government will construct silos of explosive materials in the area where a possible armed attack may happen. His statement lacks consideration over the residents in the region, bringing anxieties and divisions among them.
In the recent governorship election in Okinawa, ex-governor Tamaki Denny was re-elected overwhelmingly, which was backed by the support of Okinawa’s electorate who have a strong will not to make the island a battleground again.
Let’s keep fighting against a war, learning from and acceding to the victory of Governor Tamaki in Okinawa.
September 28, 2022