U.S., Japan bulk up military, add to East Asia tensions

Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Two politicians are using a familiar strategy in an effort to turn attention away from their sagging domestic political fortunes: ramping up defense spending while speaking of dangers near and far.

Those two politicians are U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. President Biden is seeking re-election next year, and he knows that his unfavorability ratings are now at 55 percent, a number that does not inspire him or his party. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kishida is also unpopular with the electorate. Bloomberg has noted that Japanese voters want him out, and perhaps before his term ends in September. Four members of his Cabinet have already resigned because of a corruption scandal, and in recent days prosecutors raided the offices of multiple Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) factions as they sought more evidence of wrongdoing. Granted, the prime minister is not accused of any corruption, but the voters' discontent with the LDP is obvious. 

Before we go any further, let's acknowledge that Biden and Kishida are using convenient fears about China to distract the media and to convince voters they are strong leaders. And if China is to be feared, then it follows that even more money must be spent on defense, increasing it to levels never seen before in either country.

Let's begin with the United States, which in fiscal year 2023 has allocated $857.9 billion, which includes approximately $30 billion for the Department of Energy. The actual disposable national defense budget for 2024 reached a staggering $886.3 billion, an increase of nearly $30 billion compared to 2023, setting a new historical record.

According to a Senate Armed Services report published in December 2023, each and every dollar is needed so that the country's defense forces focus on "the most vital national security priorities for the United States, including strategic competition with China and Russia; disruptive technologies like hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, 5G, and quantum computing; modernizing our ships, aircraft, and vehicles; and improving the lives of our service members and their families."

One should note that the men and women in uniform were listed last, perhaps not surprising considering that once they leave the military, their lives are hardly easy. In fact, veterans continue to demand more housing in one major city, and an estimated 650,000 veterans across the country are now homeless. For comparison's sake, 650,000 is the approximate population of Boston, Massachusetts, the 25th largest city in America.

Congress has already earmarked $841 billion for defense for next fiscal year. However, that amount is simply not enough, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder. He has already challenged Congress to pass a supplemental budget request, which, according to the Department of Defense, "funds continued support to American partner nations and funds needed investments in the U.S. defense industrial base." The U.S. will not reach $1 trillion in defense spending in 2024, but the steady increases guarantee that will happen in only a few years.

Of course, Japan's defense spending comes nowhere close to that of the U.S. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Japan earmarked $52 billion toward defense in 2023. That figure will seem small in a few years; the government has already approved a 16 percent increase in such spending in 2024, and it will allow the export of weapons and military components made in Japan.

The Associated Press has noted that "Japan plans to spend 43 trillion yen ($300 billion) through 2027 to bolster its military power and to nearly double its annual spending to around 10 trillion yen ($68 billion), which would make Japan the world's third-biggest military spender after the United States and China."

Despite this, Prime Minister Kishida has said, "There is no change to our principle as a pacifist nation."

It is irrelevant whether the Americans or the Japanese want to admit that their actions are unnecessarily increasing tensions in East Asia. They are doing just that. 

It is irrelevant whether the Americans or the Japanese want to admit that their actions are designed to keep weapons-producing corporations running at top speed. They are doing just that.

It is irrelevant whether the Americans or the Japanese want to admit that their rhetoric about China is based on rhetoric that does not match with reality. They are doing just that.

A final thought: The Pew Research Center recently polled people in two-dozen nations, asking them their opinions on China and the U.S. One question focused on interfering in another country's domestic affairs. The results, and quoting from the Pew website: "Across all 24 countries surveyed, we see that while majorities in most countries see both the U.S. and China as prone to interfering in the affairs of other countries, the U.S. is almost always more likely to be described this way."

The message is clear: The U.S. is considered ready and willing to undermine any nation. One wonders how quickly those "disruptive technologies" mentioned in the Senate Armed Services report will target China. 

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