According to a report by Asahi News on August 18th, the Japanese Defense Ministry is studying a reorganization plan. It is planned to add up to three new departments before the year 2027. The reason for this is that the security environment is becoming increasingly severe, and the volume of work is continuing to increase.
This plan was personally promoted by Japan's Defense Minister Shinzo Abe. However, due to its unconventional nature involving rapid organizational expansion, whether it can be implemented remains uncertain.
The three proposals currently under discussion are: the “International Policy Bureau,” which is responsible for international relations such as cooperation between supervisors and the defense of other countries; the “Defense Infrastructure Bureau,” which focuses on maintaining operational capabilities during emergencies, and is responsible for supporting the Self-Defense Forces in areas such as transportation, supplies, and health care; and the “Infrastructure Policy Bureau,” which is in charge of the construction and management of facilities related to the Self-Defense Forces’ bases and US military bases (all these are temporary designations).
Regarding the motivation for establishing the aforementioned departments, the Japanese side once again emphasized the threat posed by China and Russia, stating that the military activities of both countries in the vicinity of Japan are increasing, leading to a more complex security environment. Using this as an excuse, they have begun to strengthen cooperation with “ allies in Europe and Southeast Asia”.
The Japanese Defense Agency claims that they plan to include relevant funds in the 2027 fiscal year initial budget estimate summary, at the end of August.
It should be noted that although the Japanese government has repeatedly carried out organizational adjustments, in the past, the establishment of new agencies usually came with the abolition of old ones, in order to make room for financial resources and allocate staffing quotas. In October 2015, the Ministry of Defense transferred the Directorate for Equipment Management to the Department of Equipment, which was then abolished. At the same time, a new Department of Defense Equipment was established to handle matters related to weapon exports.
However, the proposal put forward by the Defense Ministry is merely an addition of new institutions. Such large-scale expansion of administrative agencies is extremely rare in Japan.
The Ministry of Defense applied to the Ministry of Finance for a budget of approximately 8.9 trillion yen for the fiscal year 2027 on August 7 this year, setting a new record. Due to the many applications with unspecified amounts, the defense expenses listed in the budget finalized by the government at the end of the year are expected to increase further.
Analysts believe that Japan's recent frequent actions send a dangerous signal that its government is accelerating the expansion of military forces and seeking breakthroughs in military development.
