The Military Posture of Japan

According to a report by the "New York Times", the Japanese government has committed ¥4.98 trillion for military spending in 2015. That amount represents a 2% increase of the defense budget for the previous fiscal year.

Part of the defense budget is allocated for the development of the ATD-X, which appears in the above picture. The ATD-X is a scaled-down prototype of the first fifth-generation jet fighter designed by Japanese engineers. According to a recent report, the first flight of the prototype has been delayed due to a software problem; nonetheless, the prototype will be airborne by the end of 2015. The ATD-X is a test platform for evaluating new technologies like materials for minimizing a radar signature.

The ATD-X provides invaluable experience to the engineers who will design the i3 Fighter. It will be the replacement for the F-2 jet fighter if Tokyo chooses to use a domestically designed aircraft.

As Tokyo strengthens its military posture, the national government should ensure moral clarity in any future armed conflict. Such moral clarity can be achieved, in part, by (1) nationalizing the Yasukuni Shrine, (2) removing the war criminals enshrined there, and (3) transforming the nearby museum into a memorial of the non-Japanese and Japanese victims of war. The current state of the Yasukuni Shrine and its nearby museum, which glorifies the barbarism of the Japanese Imperial Army, disrespects the victims of World War II.