The first meeting to discuss new National Defense Program Guidelines (see below), scheduled to be drawn up by the government in December, was held by a task force of the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito in the Diet on Friday
The government intends to work out the new guidelines that will task the Self-Defense Forces to significantly strengthen its response capability in such areas as space and cyberspace. Taking into account the opinions of the ruling parties, the government aims to obtain Cabinet approval of the guidelines in mid-December.
"The security environment surrounding our country is far more severe than it was when the previous National Defense Program Guidelines were devised," former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, an LDP lawmaker who chairs the task force, said during the meeting. "The two parties will work out [the guidelines] with the government's proposals taken into thorough consideration."
Since the current defense guidelines were drawn up in 2013, the security environment surrounding Japan has changed greatly. China has continued its military buildup by increasing military spending drastically, while North Korea has made significant progress in its nuclear and missile-related technologies. When Russia annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine in 2014, Moscow apparently employed cyber and electronic warfare.
Given such a situation, the government has proposed nine priority measures, including strengthening the following: the nation's defense capabilities in the new fields of space, cyberspace and electromagnetic waves; maritime and air defense capabilities; and the ability to respond to ballistic and cruise missiles.
The government intends to establish a system that will enable cross-disciplinary operations in order to deal with various types of attacks by boosting the SDF capabilities in new areas such as space and cyberspace.
Specifically, the government aims to utilize human resources with expertise in cyberspace and electromagnetic waves, as well as to expand and improve the organizational defense structure. It will also consider possessing the capability to counterattack in the event of a cyber-attack.
As satellites have played an important role in the field of security today, the government aims to reinforce the nation's space surveillance and reorganize the SDF structure. In the defense of remote islands, it plans to stipulate the introduction of long-range cruise missiles.
The government plans to call for an increase in defense spending in the Medium Term Defense Program, a five-year plan to be devised together with the National Defense Program Guidelines. Discussions on the defense guidelines are also being held at a government panel of experts.
-- National Defense Program Guidelines
Basic guidelines for mid- and long-term defense policies. The first guidelines were devised in 1976. The current guidelines, which were drawn up in 2013, has called for a "Dynamic Joint Defense Force" to promote the integrated operation of the three SDF branches with an eye on defending the Nansei Islands and other areas. The upcoming guidelines will be the sixth version.
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