Japan Press Weekly

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2016 October 5 - 11 [POLITICS]

Defense Minister: move budget from child allowance to military buildup

“I said that Japan should rather increase its military budget than giving assistance to children,” said Defense Minister Inada Tomomi on October 5 at a House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting.

She once said in an interview with the hawkish monthly magazine “Seiron” that Japan will be able to bring itself close to international levels of spending on arms if it moves the overall child-allowance budget to military spending. In the interview carried in the March 2011 issue of the magazine, she was complaining that the defense budget is smaller than the budget needed for the government child allowance.

She also said in the same interview, “From a long-term perspective, I believe that Japan should consider possessing nuclear weapons independently as its national strategy, not just an idea for discussion.”

Taking up these remarks, Democratic Party President Renho in the Upper House Budget Committee meeting asked DM Inada about her present view.

In response, Inada insisted on the need to put more budget emphasis on national defense than children, causing frequent interruptions of protest in the budget deliberations.

As for a nuclear-armed Japan, Inada replied, “We should discuss what the definition of the minimum necessary for self-defense under Article 9 of the Constitution should be,” and did not retract her past statement on Japan’s nuclear armament.

Past related article:
> Far-rightist Inada assumes office as Defense Minister [August 4, 2016]
> Abe reshuffles Cabinet with eye to carry out his ambition for constitutional revision [August 4, 2016]