Japan has decided to spend more money than ever before in its history to take care of its aging population and make the country safer from threats. The government approved a huge budget of 115.5 trillion yen, which is about $730 billion, for the fiscal year starting in April 2025.
Taking Care of Older People
Japan has a lot of older people compared to most countries. In fact, almost one-third of its population is 65 years old or older! To help take care of them, Japan is spending 38.3 trillion yen (more than last year’s 37.7 trillion yen) on things like healthcare, pensions, and other social services.
Making Japan Safer
Japan is also spending 8.7 trillion yen on defense to keep the country safe from dangers in the region. This includes things like:
- Building Stronger Military Systems: Japan wants better equipment to track things like ballistic missiles (rockets that can travel very far) and ships sailing near its waters.
- Improving Relationships with US Troops: Many American soldiers live in Okinawa, a group of islands in Japan. This budget will help improve how they get along with the local people.
- Getting More Soldiers: Japan’s military needs more people to drive tanks and other vehicles, so part of the money will be used to make military jobs more attractive.
Why Japan Feels Threatened
Japan is in a tricky position. It has a rule in its constitution that says it can only have a military for self-defense, not for attacking others. But recently, Japan says the area around it has become very dangerous. For example:
- North Korea has been testing missiles that can fly over or near Japan.
- China is becoming more powerful and has disagreements with Japan about some islands and waters.
Because of this, Japan promised in 2022 to spend twice as much on defense by 2027. This would bring its spending to 2% of the country’s total income, which is the standard for NATO countries (a group of countries that work together on defense).
Challenges for Japan’s Government
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said it’s not enough to have great tanks and vehicles if there aren’t enough people to use them. He promised to fix the shortage of new troops.
At the same time, Japan is dealing with big problems like a shrinking population. Fewer babies are being born each year, and Japan doesn’t have many immigrants to make up the difference.
The government also has political challenges. Although Prime Minister Ishiba stayed in power, his party had its worst election in 15 years. Now, his team will need help from other parties to get the budget approved by parliament. There’s another election for the upper house of parliament coming in the summer of 2025, which could make things even harder.
With this new budget, Japan hopes to take better care of its older citizens, protect the country, and solve some of its most pressing problems. But the government will need to work hard to make sure everything goes as planned!
