Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed his defense and finance ministers to earmark a total of about 43 trillion yen for defense spending under the nation's Medium Term Defense Program over the five years from fiscal 2023.
During a meeting with Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Monday, Kishida also once more expressed his intention to decide within the year on concrete measures to secure the financial resources for such spending in the coming five-year period and beyond.
Hamada revealed Kishida's instructions to the press after the meeting.
