Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno has become a strong security concern for the East Asian region and the international community, as China's defense spending has been revealed to be about 7% higher than last year in this budget proposal. He acknowledged that it is desirable to improve the transparency of national defense policy and military power.
At the National People's Congress, which began on the 5th of this month, the Chinese government revealed a budget plan for this year, and defense spending was 7.1% higher than last year, reaching more than 26 trillion yen in Japanese yen.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said at a press conference in the afternoon, "China is expanding its military power extensively and rapidly without transparency, and is activating its activities in the surrounding sea and airspace. It is a strong concern for the security of the region and the international community, including. "
On top of that, "China's defense spending has continued to increase at a high growth rate for a long period of time, and it is hoped that China's defense policy and military power, including defense spending, will further increase its transparency." Said.
“Taiwan-related issues, paying close attention”
In connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said, "We must not allow unilateral changes in the status quo by force, such as this invasion, in the Indo-Pacific, especially in East Asia. We are constantly analyzing the possible impacts, but refrain from answering specific details. "
On top of that, "Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is important not only for Japan's security but also for the stability of the international community. It has always been expected that the issues surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully through dialogue. I am in a position and will continue to pay close attention to it. "