Japanese Government Seeks Record Budget Exceeding $818 Billion

Japan's government ministries and agencies have submitted budget requests for fiscal 2027 that exceed 130 trillion yen ($818 billion), a significant increase from the current year's initial budget of 122.31 trillion yen.

The Ministry of Defense is seeking a record 8.9 trillion yen, with key spending areas including interceptor drones, artificial intelligence in command-and-control systems, and long-range missiles.

Expenditures on social security are expected to rise by around 390 billion yen due to Japan's aging population.

The Japanese government has previously imposed caps on budget requests, but this time Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government is not setting limits on some investment projects.