China’s aggression has lifted restrictions on Japan’s military development. Tokyo launches major modernization of military infrastructure before joining AUKUS

At the end of March 2024, three weeks before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was to travel to Washington for “historic” talks with President Biden, the Japanese government announced a major modernization of the national defense infrastructure and the construction of a network of shelters.

Given the geographical location of the facilities involved in military modernization, Tokyo is preparing to repel a simultaneous hostile attack from the PRC, Russia, and the DPRK. This decision coincided with Japan’s adoption of a record defense budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025: its size reached $56 billion.

The multi-level acceleration of Japanese defense reforms is evidence that Tokyo is preparing to finalize the unprecedented expansion of security relations with the United States, initiated by President Biden.