Pentagon Urges Japan to Hike Defense Budget Beyond 3.5% of GDP

The U.S. Defense Department is pressing Japan to lift its military budget to more than 3.5% of gross domestic product, Nikkei Asia reported, citing senior American officials. Washington regards 3.5% as a new global benchmark but believes Tokyo should exceed that level to make up for what it sees as years of underinvestment, the report said. Japanese officials have argued that such an increase would be politically infeasible for the minority government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which faces upper-house elections on 20 July. While the administration has pledged closer security cooperation with the United States, it has so far resisted specific spending commitments beyond its current medium-term defense plan. The Pentagon’s push follows earlier calls by former President Donald Trump for allies to shoulder a greater share of regional security costs. The renewed pressure adds to domestic scrutiny of Ishiba’s leadership as he seeks to balance fiscal constraints with defense obligations amid a more assertive China and North Korea.