Regarding the fact that defense spending has further increased due to China's budget plan and the scale has reached more than 22 trillion yen in Japanese yen, the Ministry of Defense will further strengthen its military power while the contents such as equipment to be introduced are unclear. As I am trying to plan, I will proceed with the analysis and increase my vigilance.
The Chinese government unveiled a budget plan for the National People's Congress, which began on the 5th of this month, of which defense spending has increased further, 22 trillion yen in Japanese yen, which is 6.8% higher than last year. It is said that it goes up to the yen too much.
While the Chinese side continues its activities, such as a ship of the China Coast Guard invading Japan's territory off the coast of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the Ministry of Defense has recorded defense spending that is about four times the defense spending of Japan. I think that China is trying to further strengthen both the quality and quantity of its military power.
Furthermore, while the specific details such as the equipment and scale to be introduced remain unclear, we will encourage the Chinese side to improve transparency through dialogue and exchanges in the security field, and continue to analyze China's military trends. I am going to be more vigilant.