No. 1324 Requested Budget Estimates for Fiscal 2024
By the end of August all the budget requests for Fiscal 2024 were submitted from the ministries and agencies. Its total sum reaches 114 trillion yen. In addition, many requests have been raised per item without showing the necessary amounts, thus the gross amount seems to well exceed the original estimate sum for the Fiscal 2023, that is 110 trillion and 484 billion yen. The major reason lies in the sharp increase in the military expenditure.
A VIOLENT DRIVE OF GOVERNMENT TO WAR PREPARATION
As for expenses for social services, the estimated figure is 33 trillion and 727.5 billion yen, with an increase by only 5.866 billion yen. The society faces a growing number of elderly people, but the amount does not rightly reflect the natural expansion of expenses. The government adopts a constriction policy.
Military budget is an exception
In comparison with the budget for social services, the ‘defense budget’ accounts 7 trillion and 738.5 billion yen with a surge by 1 trillion and 138.4 billion yen. The government is planned to spend 2% of the GNP, or 43 trillion yen as a target. Therefore, the military budget was compiled in the extrajudicial manner, which began in the 2023 fiscal to expand it gigantically. The spending is to achieve the targets provided in the three national security documents and to acquire military capabilities to attack enemy bases.
The military expenditure goes beyond the ordinary dimension not only in its figure but also in quality. An amount of 755.1 billion yen is allocated for the stand-off defense capabilities. Another 1 trillion and 271.3 billion yen is appropriated for the integrated air and missile defense capabilities, and a sum of 379.7 billion yen is to be spent on construction of two vessels equipped with the Aegis System.
Budgets to cope with the ‘Taiwan emergency’ show up. A sum of 330.1 billion is allocated to purchase 17 units of expensive transport helicopters, which will be deployed in the Southwestern Islands to carry troops. A budget is requested to create a joint headquarters of land, sea and air forces, too.
Integration of three military branches for action
Establishment of such a joint headquarters has been prohibited as the rule is shared in common in the society that ‘the Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) are not a military force’. But now the government is ready to make the SDF viable in warfare by creating a joint command. This practice is indispensable to ally with the US military.
Furthermore, you must see that a sum of 75 billion yen is allocated to develop missiles with the United States to intercept supersonic weapons and that 18.4 billion yen to develop guided-missiles to be mounted on fighter jets with trilateral efforts together with the United Kingdom and Italy.
These amounts of money include costs necessary to review the rules on defense equipment, to check personal background of employees of relevant industries and to oblige them to protect secrets. They link to overhauling of numerous existing mechanisms.
Necessary expenses to prepare a war are not limited to ‘defense budget’: money is needed to build infrastructure in the Yonakuni Island to berth destroyers of the SDF and patrol boats of the Coast Guard, to extend the quay walls at the Ishigaki Port and to renovate the ports of Naha, which is in Okinawa, Hakata of the Kyushu Island, and Takamatsu, located in the Shikoku Island. Estimates to expand and renew the Naha Airport and to lengthen runways at the airports of Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Kochi are appropriated in the Fiscal 2024 for ‘building public infrastructure’.
Money should be allotted from military budget
A budget to tackle the current problem of decreased child births counts only a little over 3 trillion yen, less than a half of the ‘defense budget’, and the ministries submitted many requests on the per-item basis. Prices are heightened today and subsidies to cope with the Covid-19 impacts are closed. Smaller business entities have fallen to bankruptcies. How many people would be rescued if some of the money allocated to buying missiles were spent on for social welfare?
A general election will come. We must send politicians to the parliament who will fight outrightly against the budget compilation for war preparation and destruction of people’s lives.
24年度予算の概算要求が８月末に出揃った。総計１１４兆円だ。別に要求額を示さない「事項要求」が多く、23年度当初予算１１０兆４８４億円を大きく上回りそうだ。軍事費急増が主な原因だ。
社会保障費は33兆７２７５億円で５８６６億円の増でしかない。高齢化に伴い自然増だけでもこんな額ですむはずがない。抑制が前提であろう。
軍事費は異次元
これに対し、「防衛費」は７兆７３８５億円で１兆１３８４億円も増えている。ＧＤＰ２％・43兆円達成に向け23年度から治外法権的に巨大化が進む。それは「安保三文書」の実行であり、「敵基地攻撃能力」予算の様相を強めている。 額だけでなく、その質が「異次元」に踏み込んでいるのだ。スタンドオフ防衛能力に７５５１億円。統合防空ミサイル防衛能力に１兆２７１３億円。イージスシステム搭載艦２隻建造に３７９７億円、等々だ。
「台湾有事」対応も目立つ。高額な輸送ヘリ17機３３０１億円は、南西諸島への兵員輸送用だろう。「陸海空統合司令部」創設のための予算要求もある。
実戦へ三軍統合
「自衛隊は軍隊ではない」という建前から、かかる「統合司令部」設置は禁じ手であったが、いよいよ「三軍統合」で実戦準備を本格化する。それは米軍との連携のためにも不可欠なのである。
さらに要注意なのは、日米共同開発の超音速兵器迎撃ミサイル開発に７５０億円、日・英・伊共同の戦闘機搭載用誘導弾開発経費に１８４億円などである。
これらは「防衛装備品」の「運用細則」見直しから関連産業従業員の身辺調査や秘密保護義務化に至るまで、諸制度の見直しとリンクする。
戦争準備の経費は「防衛費」だけではない。与那国島に護衛艦と海保巡視船接岸可能港整備。石垣港の岸壁延長。那覇港、博多港、高松港などの岸壁整備。新石垣空港、那覇空港の拡張・整備。鹿児島、宮崎、高知など空港滑走路延長の関連費用も24年度予算に、「公共インフラ整備」として計上される。
軍事費充てれば
一方、「異次元少子化対策」は「防衛費」の半分以下の３兆円台半ばで事項要求が多い。物価高騰とコロナ関連支援の打切りで中小企業倒産が急増している。ミサイル購入経費を充てればどれだけの人々が救われるだろう。 総選挙で、戦争準備と生活破壊の予算化と正面から対決する政治勢力を国会に送ろう。
英訳版↓
No. 1324 Requested Budget Estimates for Fiscal 2024
By the end of August all the budget requests for Fiscal 2024 were submitted from the ministries and agencies. Its total sum reaches 114 trillion yen. In addition, many requests have been raised per item without showing the necessary amounts, thus the gross amount seems to well exceed the original estimate sum for the Fiscal 2023, that is 110 trillion and 484 billion yen. The major reason lies in the sharp increase in the military expenditure.
A VIOLENT DRIVE OF GOVERNMENT TO WAR PREPARATION
As for expenses for social services, the estimated figure is 33 trillion and 727.5 billion yen, with an increase by only 5.866 billion yen. The society faces a growing number of elderly people, but the amount does not rightly reflect the natural expansion of expenses. The government adopts a constriction policy.
Military budget is an exception
In comparison with the budget for social services, the ‘defense budget’ accounts 7 trillion and 738.5 billion yen with a surge by 1 trillion and 138.4 billion yen. The government is planned to spend 2% of the GNP, or 43 trillion yen as a target. Therefore, the military budget was compiled in the extrajudicial manner, which began in the 2023 fiscal to expand it gigantically. The spending is to achieve the targets provided in the three national security documents and to acquire military capabilities to attack enemy bases.
The military expenditure goes beyond the ordinary dimension not only in its figure but also in quality. An amount of 755.1 billion yen is allocated for the stand-off defense capabilities. Another 1 trillion and 271.3 billion yen is appropriated for the integrated air and missile defense capabilities, and a sum of 379.7 billion yen is to be spent on construction of two vessels equipped with the Aegis System.
Budgets to cope with the ‘Taiwan emergency’ show up. A sum of 330.1 billion is allocated to purchase 17 units of expensive transport helicopters, which will be deployed in the Southwestern Islands to carry troops. A budget is requested to create a joint headquarters of land, sea and air forces, too.
Integration of three military branches for action
Establishment of such a joint headquarters has been prohibited as the rule is shared in common in the society that ‘the Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) are not a military force’. But now the government is ready to make the SDF viable in warfare by creating a joint command. This practice is indispensable to ally with the US military.
Furthermore, you must see that a sum of 75 billion yen is allocated to develop missiles with the United States to intercept supersonic weapons and that 18.4 billion yen to develop guided-missiles to be mounted on fighter jets with trilateral efforts together with the United Kingdom and Italy.
These amounts of money include costs necessary to review the rules on defense equipment, to check personal background of employees of relevant industries and to oblige them to protect secrets. They link to overhauling of numerous existing mechanisms.
Necessary expenses to prepare a war are not limited to ‘defense budget’: money is needed to build infrastructure in the Yonakuni Island to berth destroyers of the SDF and patrol boats of the Coast Guard, to extend the quay walls at the Ishigaki Port and to renovate the ports of Naha, which is in Okinawa, Hakata of the Kyushu Island, and Takamatsu, located in the Shikoku Island. Estimates to expand and renew the Naha Airport and to lengthen runways at the airports of Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Kochi are appropriated in the Fiscal 2024 for ‘building public infrastructure’.
Money should be allotted from military budget
A budget to tackle the current problem of decreased child births counts only a little over 3 trillion yen, less than a half of the ‘defense budget’, and the ministries submitted many requests on the per-item basis. Prices are heightened today and subsidies to cope with the Covid-19 impacts are closed. Smaller business entities have fallen to bankruptcies. How many people would be rescued if some of the money allocated to buying missiles were spent on for social welfare?
A general election will come. We must send politicians to the parliament who will fight outrightly against the budget compilation for war preparation and destruction of people’s lives.
September 27, 2023