Japan's 2025 Defense Buildup in Response to Missile Developments and Territorial Disputes

In 2025 Japan's Ministry of Defense outlined plans to bolster standoff defense capabilities and integrated air and missile defense systems.

INDO-PACIFIC — Since the release of Japan's 2025 budget overview on April 11, 2025, and the Defense of Japan 2025 white paper on July 15, 2025, the country's Ministry of Defense has outlined plans to bolster standoff defense capabilities and integrated air and missile defense systems.

The FY2025 budget requests 8,474.8 billion yen (approximately $57.1 billion, based on an average exchange rate of ¥148.4 per USD in July 2025) on an expenditure basis for implementing the Defense Buildup Program, prioritizing responses to ballistic missile and airborne developments from North Korea and China's military activities.

This includes deploying upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles and acquiring interceptors like SM-3 Block IIA, amid ongoing tests and developments to address ranges covering Japan's archipelago. The initiatives aim to achieve superiority in cross-domain operations, ensuring rapid deployment and sustained resiliency in contested environments.